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Design per il mercato della prossimità. Analisi e pratiche per attivare e radicare relazioni, identità e cura tra i mercati storici mediterranei
No full textLa ricerca di dottorato indaga i mercati alimentari storici del Mediterraneo interpretandoli come configurazioni socio-spaziali complesse in cui le economie di prossimità e le pratiche di convivenza si sedimentano e rinnovano costantemente. La loro natura eterogenea, che spazia dalle strutture regolamentate agli spazi informali, impedisce una classificazione sistematica e li definisce piuttosto come nodi relazionali dove flussi materiali e immateriali generano configurazioni contingenti (Seale, 2016). Il mercato emerge qui come un fatto sociale totale (Sorgi, 2008) e un’esperienza incarnata (Slater e Tonkiss, 2001) in cui l’arte del fare quotidiana descritta da Michel de Certeau (1984) trasforma lo spazio attraverso gesti specifici, coreografie sociali e micro-tattiche di resistenza che sfuggono alla regolazione totale. Tali micro-geografie urbane svolgono una funzione cruciale nei quartieri popolari sostenendo economie inclusive e garantendo coesione sociale (Watson, 2009), eppure si trovano oggi al centro di una tensione costitutiva generata dalle pressioni della turistificazione e dalle economie dell’esperienza che tendono a riconfigurarli in piattaforme di consumo estetizzato. Questa dinamica trasforma i mercati in "spazi contesi" (González, 2018) dove la dimensione comunitaria si scontra con processi di gentrificazione commerciale che traducono l’identità locale in merce simbolica all’interno dei foodscapes urbani (Adema, 2007; Fusté-Forné, 2023). Il percorso di ricerca adotta il Pensiero Meridiano (Cassano, 2021) come chiave epistemologica per valorizzare la densità simbolica e la lentezza processuale di questi contesti, proponendo un approccio progettuale che non impone modelli esterni ma agisce come infrastruttura di ascolto per attivare le ecologie locali e sostenere l’autonomia delle comunità nel dare forma a iniziative radicate nelle proprie economie morali. Il design si orienta dichiaratamente all’innovazione sociale (Manzini, 2015) interpretando la prossimità (Manzini, 2021) come principio etico per abitare i territori secondo logiche di coesistenza plurale (Escobar, 2018) e cura (Haraway, 1988; de la Bellacasa, 2017). L'indagine adotta gli strumenti propri del Service Design per osservare e riconfigurare le interazioni tra attori, spazi e servizi, integrando la prospettiva della Sitopia di Carolyn Steel (2021) che pone il cibo al centro delle dinamiche ecologiche ed economiche. Attraverso un approccio metodologico qualitativo e situato lo studio mette a confronto casi studio distribuiti tra Sicilia, Barcellona e Beirut, facendo emergere le tensioni tra le economie di prossimità e le pressioni della turistificazione che rischiano di alterare la natura di questi luoghi. L'analisi si concentra infine sul mercato di Ballarò a Palermo descrivendo un contesto segnato da una governance grigia e da un'informalità diffusa che agisce come impalcatura di resilienza. Gli esiti della ricerca si concretizzano in tre output progettuali interconnessi costituiti da un Framework Diagnostico per misurare lo stato di salute del sistema mercato, un set di Linee Guida Operative orientate alla rigenerazione delle filiere e alla cura dello spazio comune e infine un Manifesto del Mercato Meridiano
An in-situ methodology to separate the contribution of soil water content and salinity to EMI-based soil electrical conductivity
No full textSalt accumulation in the root zone limits agricultural productivity and can eventually lead to land
abandonment. Therefore, monitoring the spatial distribution of soil water content and solution salinity is crucial
for effective land and irrigation management. However, assessing soil water content and salinity at the field scale is often challenging due to the heterogeneity of soil properties.
Electromagnetic induction (EMI) offers a fast, non-invasive, in situ geophysical method to map spatial variability in soil. EMI instruments measure the apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa), which reflects the integrated contribution of the bulk electrical conductivity (b) of different soil layers. By inverting the measured ECa, it is possible to obtain the distribution of the b along the soil profile, which provides indirect information
on soil salinity. However, in saline soils, b is influenced by both water content () and soil solution electrical conductivity (w) (the salinity), making it difficult to independently quantify these two variables through a single, straightforward procedure.
The objective of this study is to separate the respective contributions of  and w to b, as obtained from the EMI inversion. To achieve this, ECa was measured using a CMD-MiniExplorer instrument in two maize plots irrigated with saline and non-saline water, respectively, in an agricultural field in southern Italy. The dataset
was then inverted in order to obtain the b distribution. By employing a site-specific calibrated Rhoades linear model and assuming pedological homogeneity between the two plots, the spatial distribution of  and w in the
saline plot was successfully estimated. To validate the results, independent measurements of soil water content by Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and direct measurement of soil solution electrical conductivity, w, were performed.
The proposed procedure enables the estimation of  and w with high accuracy along the soil profile, except in the soil surface, where EMI reliability is limited. These findings demonstrate that the integration of EMI with
a site-specific –b–w model is a reliable and efficient in-situ approach for mapping soil salinity and water content at field scale, offering valuable insights for optimizing agricultural irrigation management in systems using saline water
Tropicalization and biodiversity restructuring of calcifying plankton in a rapidly warming Mediterranean Sea
No full textClimate-driven shifts in species diversity, community composition and phenology can disrupt ecosystem functioning and compromise marine ecosystem stability. The Mediterranean Sea, a global biodiversity hotspot, is
particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change and is experiencing a growing biodiversity crisis
especially driven by warming, habitat degradation, pollution and the introduction of new species. Yet, current
knowledge of biodiversity changes in this region is largely limited to shallow shelf benthic communities and
macroorganisms. Calcifying phytoplankton and zooplankton, however, offer a unique lens into pelagic ecosystem
dynamics, as their fossil record preserves signals of biodiversity change in deep-sea sediments spanning the
Industrial Era and the current phase of rapid warming. This study focuses on the reconstruction of diversity
change of two dominant calcifying plankton groups: coccolithophores and foraminifera (primary and secondary
producers). We examine two selected sedimentary records of the western and central Mediterranean—Alboran
Sea and the Strait of Sicily—spanning the last ~1700 and 200 years of modern climate, respectively. By
quantifying abundance, diversity and turnover of species composition we evaluate the potential response of
calcifying plankton assemblages to oceanographic changes under anthropogenic climate change. The results
revealed contrasting changes in the diversity of the two dominant calcifying plankton groups, with a rapid increase in coccolithophore diversity alongside a decrease in planktonic foraminiferal diversity during the Industrial Era. We attribute these group-specific responses to ecological and physiological differences, particularly
in relation to life cycles and water column distribution, under increasingly stratified, nutrient-depleted surface
waters driven by rising sea surface temperatures. In addition, this study provides first indication of tropicalization of the western Mediterranean plankton derived from the increasing intrusion and eastward expansion of
the coccolithophore Gephyrocapsa oceanica from the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. The highest
abundances of this species are restricted to the Equatorial Atlantic Divergence Zone and only found in higher
proportions in the Mediterranean during past warm periods. Although the temperate-productivity foraminiferal
species of Globigerina bulloides and Globorotalia inflata remain the dominant foraminiferal species, previous minor
dominant species are being replaced by warm-oligotrophic species, such as Trilobatus sacculifer and Globigerinella
spp. These align with model projections of tropical species migrating into the area, previously documented
among benthic organisms and point to a broader restructuring of planktonic life
Differences in the aging of the spine according to physical activity levels in older women
No full textIntroduction: The physiological decline with advancing age also affects the aging of the spine. The practice of physical activity (PA) appears to protect against spine degeneration. Hence, the aim of this study was to analyze the morphological differences of the spine in older women, comparing subjects with different levels of PA. Methods: Participants were divided into the three following groups based on the amount of PA practiced: low active (LA); moderate active (MA); high active (HA). The levels of PA were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ–SF). The spine morphology of each participant was assessed through a non-invasive, 3D optoelectronic detection system using the Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology. Spine parameters in the frontal and sagittal planes were considered for comparisons. Results: No significant differences in spine parameters in the frontal plane among the 3 groups were found. In the sagittal plane, we found a significant difference on the spine sagittal imbalance parameter (F(2, 40) = 6.17; p = 0.005), with the highest spine sagittal imbalance in the LA group. Furthermore, in the sagittal plane, we detected a significant difference in the spine inclination parameter (F(2, 40) = 5.93; p = 0.006), with the highest spine inclination in the LA group. Conclusion: Our results showed that older women who engage d in lower levels of PA exhibited some altered spinal sagittal parameters compared to peers with moderate and high levels of PA, suggesting that PA may contribute to maintain spinal sagittal alignment and preserve spinal sagittal balance
"Defiant Identities in a Contemporary Dysto‐Utopian Blockbuster: A Multimodal Analysis of James Cameron’s Avatar".
No full textJames Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), epitomise a “dysto-utopian” world in which post-human bodies take centre stage in the age-long conflict between humans and the Na’vi: oppressors versus oppressed, illegitimate occupants versus the displaced, destroyers versus preservers.
Adopting an integrated analytical framework that combines the theoretical tenets of Cultural, Gender, and Post-colonial Studies with Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, this study intends to demonstrate how Avatar’s post-human corporality challenges dominant Anthropocenic aesthetics, as the bodies of both humanoid natives and former humans resist normative binary dichotomies. It thus happens that Pandora’s (warrior) women, in particular, play a pivotal role, openly contesting inferiorizing notions of female socio-cultural fixity, physical weakness, and psychological frailty.
Against this backdrop, the analysis of the films’ major semiotic resources casts light onto their polyvocality and cultural multiplicity, revealing the extent to which the series’ textual fabric acts as an arena of resistance against Western hegemony.
In conclusion, Avatar’s unconventional identity models and polyphonic narrative position this commercial blockbuster as a cultural product that hints at the possibility of renewed geopolitical and cultural connections. In an era marked by political tensions and military conflict, its core ideological message assumes newfound vitality, serving as an imperative warning to a human race on the brink of self-annihilatio
How can we sustainably assess the shelf life of EVOO? A systematic review on analytical strategies and food waste reduction
No full textNowadays, olive oil quality is assessed through a combination of physicochemical
parameters and sensory evaluation performed by trained tasting panels. The
International Olive Council (IOC) and Codex Alimentarius define the legal limits
and reference values for these parameters. The current analytical methods used
to characterize extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), are based on destructive chemical
techniques that are time-consuming, require long sample preparation (highly skilled
operators), resource-intensive and involve the use of toxic solvents, with marked
environmental impact and costs representing an obstacle in the green transition.
Additionally, many of them do not allow for real-time analysis or analysis in line
with industrial processes. Furthermore, none of the currently established methods
adequately address the qualitative deterioration of virgin olive during storage. Thus,
quality evaluation should include not only regulatory criteria but also parameters
related to human health, the formation of degradation products, especially with
respect to storage conditions. In addition, attention should be focused particularly
on the concept of secondary shelf-life, with the aim of reducing food waste of
olive oil while characteristics still remain unaltered. In light of this, it is necessary
to explore alternative analytical strategies that are rapid, non-destructive, and
sustainable, capable of guaranteeing the quality and safety of EVOO, reducing food
waste, and respecting the principles of environmental sustainability. This review
aims to critically analyze the latest analytical methodologies applied to determine
the shelf life of EVOO, with a particular focus on their potential contribution to
reducing waste and aligning with the objectives of Agenda 2030
«Né poesia né musica»: polemiche e compromessi sulla parola intonata dal Settecento al Novecento
No full textSuitability of Apium graveolens L. var. secalinum Alef. to hydroponic cultivation for baby leaf production
No full textConsumers are increasingly seeking innovative, healthy foods rich in nutraceuticals, driving the search for new or underutilized leafy vegetables. Leaf celery (Apium graveolens L. var. secalinum Alef.), a promising candidate for new food sources, stands out from ribbed celery with its smaller size and enhanced aroma. It is gaining global interest due to its high concentration of bioactive compounds, but it is presently cultivated only on soil in restricted regions. Significant knowledge gaps still exist regarding optimal agronomic management for its hydroponic baby leaf production and post-harvest cold storage as a minimally processed product. The necessity of adopting hydroponic systems for ready-to-eat leafy salads requires specific studies on techniques and nutrient management for novel vegetables like leaf celery. This research, for the first time, investigates the feasibility of producing fresh-cut suitable leaf celery baby leaves using a hydroponic ebb-and-flow cultivation system. We studied the effects of two plant densities (615 and 947 plants m−2) and three nutrient solution concentrations (NS) (only water, half strength, and full strength) on leaf celery growth, yield, and postharvest quality over two growing seasons (S1: winter/spring and S2: spring/summer). The experiment included two mowings per season to test the plant's regrowth capability, with morphological, biochemical, and yield characteristics assessed after each. Leaves from the first mowing of each trial were tested via sensory analysis and evaluated for shelf-life following minimal processing and cold storage (21 days at 4 °C). This research provides essential, globally transferable data for sustainable Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) by quantifying the yield, nutritional stability, and post-harvest longevity of this novel crop across critical seasonal and resource management variables. Results showed higher total yields in S1 (5.25 kg m−2) compared to S2 (2.76 kg m−2) using the full-strength NS, with nutrient availability effects varying by season and density. The full-strength NS maximized total yield, while the half-strength NS achieved the highest NUE (35.6 g DW g−1 N in S1). Importantly, the baby leaves exhibited good vitamin and mineral content with consistent stability across growing seasons and mowings. Their sensory profile showed only minor differences between seasons, generally maintaining a good overall evaluation. Crucially, the leaves maintained a shelf-life exceeding 14 days across all tested treatments. Overall, leaf celery proved well-suited for hydroponic cultivation, yielding baby leaves with excellent shelf-life and nutritional quality, offering a viable high-value option for the fresh-cut market
The sustainability report of tourism companies: the case of Online Travel Agencies
No full textThe complexities of the current economic climate have gradually influenced the modus operandi of
companies in terms of the significant attention paid to their relationship with society, cultures,
territories, the natural environment, etc. In this context, there has been an increase in external demand
for companies to demonstrate the sustainability of their activities in environmental, social and
governance (ESG) terms. Conversely, there has been a corresponding increase in internal demand
for companies to integrate sustainability objectives with their traditional economic and financial
objectives (Bachiorri, 2017). As is well known, the acceptance of the sustainability paradigm has
meant renewing and expanding reporting tools in order to cover all the various and variable
relationships between companies and anthropogenic and natural systems. In this sense, in the field
of Sustainability Accounting studies, there are several theoretical and regulatory proposals in place
for sustainability reporting, including social, environmental and sustainability reports based on
international standards, from those of the GRI to those of the SASB. In this field of study,
sustainability reporting by companies in the hospitality and tourism sector, which are particularly
affected by recurring environmental instability and rapid climate change, takes on particular
importance. In particular, this paper aims to investigate the issue of corporate ‘measurement’ of
sustainable tourism with reference to Online Travel Agencies (OTA). As is well known, OTA have
taken on an increasingly important role in virtual/digital intermediation between companies selling
transport and hospitality services and users of such services, gaining a competitive advantage over
the companies themselves. The literature on OTA has mainly focused on issues related to pricing
policies, service quality, customer satisfaction and reputational aspects, while the issue of
sustainability has been less explored. Indeed, the main OTA, Booking, Airbnb and Expedia, have
shown attention to sustainability, especially environmental sustainability, albeit with different
approaches. Booking has used its Travel Sustainable Programme to enable users to identify
accommodation facilities engaged in practices with a lower environmental and social impact
(Gonzalez et al., 2025). Airbnb has used an approach based on offering advice on reducing energy
consumption, managing waste efficiently, using eco-friendly cleaning products and promoting
sustainable mobility (Arzoumanidi et al., 2022). Expedia has introduced an eco-friendly criterion
into its rating system, allowing users to express their opinion on sustainability (Gonzalez et al.,
2025). Moving on from these assumptions, the paper focuses on the environmental, social and
governance practices adopted by the above-mentioned major OTA and on the disclosure of these
practices in their respective sustainability reports. The survey is conducted using a qualitative
approach, based on a documentary study of the financial statements of Booking, Airbnb and Expedia
from both a diachronic perspective, considering the financial statements for the three-year period
2022-2024, and a synchronic perspective, comparing the information areas of the financial
statements of the three OTA as well as the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the related
information
Effectiveness of Nitinol-Constrained Balloon Angioplasty for Treating Postangioplasty Dissections in Chronic Total Occlusions of the Femoropopliteal Segment
No full textPurpose: To assess the effectiveness of nitinol-constrained balloon (NCB; Chocolate; Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for treating Diameter reduction, Spiral shape, Flow impairment, or adverse Morphology (DISFORM) III postangioplasty dissections in chronic total occlusions (CTOs) of the femoropopliteal segment. Materials and Methods: The CHOCOlate-STABilization (CHOCO-STAB) study was conducted from February 2019 to February 2022. It included patients with peripheral arterial disease affected by chronic limb-threatening ischemia. This study specifically included patients with DISFORM III postangioplasty dissections who were treated using NCB angioplasty after initial PTA. The main outcomes assessed in this study were technical success and the occurrence of major adverse events. Results: This study included 68 patients with a mean age of 72 years (SD +/- 10), of whom 39% had diabetes. The initially treated CTOs had a mean length of 10.32 mm (SD +/- 5; interquartile range, 5-15 mm), with moderate or severe calcification in 28%. Forty-seven (69%) patients received initial treatment with drug-coated balloons (DCBs). NCB angioplasty was feasible in all patients, achieving technical success in 62 (91%). Stent placement was required in the remaining 6 (9%) cases. Three-year estimated overall survival was 98.5%, primary patency was 88.2%, freedom from major amputation was 94.1%, and freedom from clinical target lesion revascularization was 94.1%. Conclusions: Postangioplasty dissections represent a relevant adverse event that necessitates scaffolding in moderate and severe grades. The CHOCO-STAB study demonstrated the safety and potential of NCB angioplasty to reduce stent placement in patients treated with DCB and plain old balloon angioplasty who present with postangioplasty dissections