University of Verona
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Environmental, Social, and Governance Implementation in Higher Education: A Focus on Sustainability Management in Brazilian and Italian Universities
No full textThis study investigates the integration of Environmental, Social, and
Governance (ESG) principles implementation in Brazilian and Italian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), aiming to compare their sustainability practices within Environmental Management Systems, frameworks, and reporting standards. The study analyzes HEI’s approaches to ESG management, identifying effective practices and
trends for improving ESG management in HEIs. In doing so, the originality of the study lies in its cross-national examination of ESG strategies in higher education, contributing valuable insights for HEIs worldwide to enhance their sustainability efforts. The findings reveal distinct ESG management approaches in Brazil and Italy’s HEIs, with Brazil improving in global impact rankings and environmental initiatives. At the same time, Italy is showing more substantial adoption of ISO 14001 and sustainable networks participation. This analysis will benefit academics, policymakers, and sustainability practitioners interested in the global implementation of sustainable development in higher education
Time-Motion Analysis of the 2023 Women's World Boxing Championships Finals
Get PDFBackground: This study investigated boxers' activity profiles during the final matches (3 × 3 min format) of the IBA 2023 Women's World Boxing Championships. Methods: Footage of the 12 finals was used to analyse the frequency and duration of fighting (F), punching (P), clinching (C), no-fighting (NF), and arbitral interruption (AI) phases. The analysis was conducted both for weight categories and divisions (lightweight (LWC): 48, 50, 52, 54, 57, and 60 kg; middleweight (MWC): 63, 66, 70, and 75 kg; heavyweight (HWC): 81 and 81+ kg). Results: Pooled data per round revealed significant differences for P (<0.001), C (p = 0.002), NF (p < 0.001), and AI (p < 0.001) phases, as well for P mean duration across rounds (p < 0.001). The MWC division showed significantly shorter F duration compared with the LWC (p = 0.007) and MWC divisions (<0.001). The F/NF total time ratio showed a prevalence of F in the 48, 50, 63, and 81+ kg categories, while NF prevailed in the 54, 57, 60, and 75 kg categories. Conclusions: While HWC primarily relied on C actions, the 54, 57, 60, and 75 kg categories showed higher NF frequency. This fact explains a different strategic match management approach with deliberate rhythm, controlled pauses, and opponent analysis, which coaches should consider for enhancing athletes' performance by considering weight categories
Recurrence After Gallbladder Cancer Resection: Prognostic Impact of CA19-9 and CEA Levels at Baseline and During Surveillance
No full textIntroduction: Baseline serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels may predict prognosis among patients undergoing resection for gallbladder cancer (GBC), yet the prognostic utility of the combination of the two markers has not been well established. In addition, the prognostic significance of elevated preoperative CA19-9 levels that normalize after GBC resection is currently unknown. Methods: Patients undergoing resection of GBC between 2002 and 2021 were identified using an international, multi-institutional database. The association of preoperative CA19-9 and CEA levels with recurrence-free survival (RFS) following GBC resection was assessed. The negative predictive value (NPV) of normal vs. normalized (high preoperative/low postoperative levels) CA19-9 levels relative to the development of recurrence within 1 year after GBC resection was evaluated. Results: Among 194 patients who underwent resection of GBC, median preoperative CA19-9 and CEA levels were 18.8 U/mL (IQR 7.0-88.0) and 2.2 ng/mL (IQR 1.3-3.8), respectively. A total of 92 (47.4%) and 67 (34.5%) patients had elevated CA19-9 (> 20 U/mL) and CEA (> 3 ng/mL) levels before GBC resection, respectively. Individuals with low CA19-9/low CEA had the most favorable 3-year RFS (74.5%) after GBC resection followed by individuals with either high CA19-9 (high CA19-9/low CEA: 41.6%) or high CEA (low CA19-9/high CEA: 60.9%) levels, whereas patients with high CA19-9/high CEA had the worst 3-year RFS (21.5%) following GBC resection (p < 0.001). Patients with normal preoperative CA19-9 levels had better 3-year RFS than patients with high preoperative CA19-9 levels that normalized after resection (74.6% vs. 51.4%, p = 0.03). While the NPV of normal preoperative CA19-9 levels relative to the development of recurrence within 1 year after GBC resection was 94.7%, the NPV of normalized CA19-9 decreased to 70% at 1-year post-resection. Conclusion: Elevation of both preoperative CA19-9 and CEA levels portended poor prognosis following resection of GBC. Normalization of postoperative CA19-9 levels after GBC resection was still associated with elevated risk of recurrence. While preoperative tumor markers can accurately predict prognosis following resection for GBC, evaluation of traditional tumor markers may not be appropriate markers of occult recurrent disease in the postoperative setting. Better markers are needed to monitor for recurrence following resection of GBC
Editorial: Errors and biases in modern healthcare: public health, medico-legal and risk management aspects
No full textNo abstract availabl
81. Ugo Persi, Ivan Turgenev, Lettere e musica, Un’antologia con note (Lemma Press, Alzano Lombardo, 2025)
No full textScheda del libro in oggett
Automated text restoration in ancient manuscripts: a deep learning approach for document image binarisation based on multispectral data
No full textThe development of automatic techniques for the restoration of handwritten texts in ancient, degraded manuscripts is gaining more interest in the field of book heritage. Typically, the task of interpreting the written text is left to expert philologists, who make use of “visible” features (naked eyes or digitization) and contextual information, thus introducing subjectivity into the restoration process. Recent advances in machine learning, especially deep learning, have paved the way for new methods for document analysis that can be integrated into fully automated systems capable of providing objective results. Of particular interest for text restoration are the algorithms related to document image binarisation, which consists in discriminating in the images the text from the background. This paper presents a fully automated processing pipeline for document image binarisation using deep learning based segmentation approaches on digitised images of ancient, degraded manuscripts. To generalize the approach, the method has been tested using image data from different sources, including open datasets and data obtained in laboratory. The experimental datasets were acquired with the PhaseOne multispectral imaging console in the UV-VIS-NIR. The spectral images are first combined to enhance the detection of the manuscript features, by improving the image contrast of the written text with respect to the background. A robust framework for handwritten text segmentation is then applied, enabling an accurate segmentation without the need for manual intervention. The integration of the multispectral data module in the pipeline is investigated in the analysis of the degraded manuscripts that are challenging due to the presence of faded ink and deterioration in the support. Once validated on different type of datasets, the proposed technique may represent a valuable tool for philologists and conservators to save time enabling a scalable analysis of large document collections
A nationwide forensic case-series of femicides in Italy - Part 1: Clues to the motives of the murder
No full text: Understanding the motives behind femicides is crucial to design effective prevention strategies and to support women's self-determination, free from threats to their mental and physical integrity. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter forensic study involving 27 Italian Institutes of Legal Medicine, analyzing 1238 female homicides (1950-2023). Cases were classified as femicide or non-femicide female homicide according to the medico-legal definition of femicide as the murder due to the failure to recognize women's right to self-determination. Motives were categorized into 12 groups, and relevant anamnestic and circumstantial data were collected. Of the 1238 cases, 410 were identified as femicides, 395 as non-femicides, and 433 were excluded for insufficient information. Femicides were most frequently driven by jealousy/rejection (n = 185; 45.1 %) and separation/divorce (n = 144; 35.1 %), often in the context of intimate partner violence or inability to accept the end of a relationship. Non-femicides were predominantly associated with the perpetrator's psychiatric disorder and/or drug addiction (n = 126; 31.9 %), violent aggression without gender-related motive (n = 69; 17.5 %), victim's illness (n = 63; 15.9 %), or economic reasons (n = 58; 14.7 %). In the Italian context, most femicides stem from relational dynamics - particularly jealousy, rejection, and separation - whereas non-femicides are more often linked to psychiatric illness, substance abuse, or non-gender-related aggression. Incorporating these findings into clinical risk assessment protocols, especially in emergency and primary care settings, may help identify women at high risk and guide targeted prevention strategies
Imagining a better world: how are companies transforming capitalism?
No full textthe idea of this Special Issue was that of inviting scholars to produce new knowledge on the topic, in particular in an attempt to shed precise and specific light on the opportunities and challenges of the hybridization process which may - hopefully, in our opinion - transform capitalism. More specifically, the idea of the Special Issue emerged as one of the very first initiatives launched by the thematic group about Purpose-Driven Businesses which is active within SIMA, the Italian Management Association. Participants to this thematic group participated to the call, invited other colleagues to participate, and discussed their works during two meetings which were organized in Rome, in 2023, to present and discuss what was being developed
The effect of XC-running race Lidingöloppet on determinants of performance
Get PDFAim: This study aimed to investigate the determinants of running performance in a cross-country running race and examine whether running economy and biomechanics are affected. Moreover, we analyzed whether the magnitude of change in running economy (RE) is related to changes in biomechanics, performance, and fitness measures. Method: Thirteen runners (12 male and 1 female), with an average 10 km personal best time of 36:46 ± 3:17 (min:s), participated in the 30 km cross-country race, Lidingöloppet. Assessments of submaximal and maximal running physiology, biomechanics, and anthropometry were conducted before and immediately after the race. A multiple linear regression model was applied to explain performance variance. Pearson's correlation analyses examined the relationships between performance and pre-test variables, and between changes in running economy and both pre-test fitness measures and changes in biomechanics. Paired Student's t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-race values. Results: Performance was best explained using a model including oxygen uptake at lactate threshold (LT), fat utilization, and allometrically scaled running economy (R 2 = 0.918, adjusted R 2 = 0.887, F = 29.7, p < 0.01). Race performance also correlated with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max, r = -0.776, p = 0.003), fat mass (r = 0.646, p = 0.032), and velocity at VO2max (vVO2max, r = -0.853, p < 0.01). The oxygen cost of running increased (201.8 ± 14 vs. 208.4 ± 9.3 mL kg-1·km-1; p = 0.041), whereas respiratory exchange ratio (0.91 ± 0.04 vs. 0.85 ± 0.05; p < 0.01) and body mass (69.2 ± 7.5 vs. 67.6 ± 7.7 kg; p < 0.01) decreased post-race. Energetic cost of running (0.997 ± 0.076 vs. 1.015 ± 0.052 kcal kg-1·km-1; p = 0.192) and all biomechanical measurements, including cadence, contact time, overstride, vertical displacement, and vertical force, were unaffected by the race. The magnitude of change in running economy was related only to pre-test running economy (r = -0.749; p = 0.003) but not to performance (r = -0.440; p = 0.132), other pre-test fitness measures, or any changes in biomechanics. Conclusion: The best performance prediction model included oxygen uptake at estimated lactate threshold, fat utilization during submaximal running, and allometrically scaled running economy. Oxygen cost of running increased post-race, likely due to increased fat oxidation, despite decreased body mass. No changes in biomechanics were observed, and changes in running economy could not be explained by changes in biomechanics. Aerobic fitness, anthropometry, and performance were not associated with changes in running economy. Given the small and relatively homogeneous sample, findings should be considered exploratory, although they suggest that practitioners may benefit from targeting fat oxidation, oxygen uptake at the estimated lactate threshold, and running economy in training
The Effect of Physical Activity on Executive Functions in the Elderly Population: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the scientific, educational, and health sectors in investigating aspects upon which to design physical-activity interventions to prevent cognitive decline, a phenomenon that affects levels of autonomy and quality of life in older adulthood. Physical activity (PA) has been shown to be an effective strategy that can be used to preserve executive functions (EFs) by improving brain flexibility and efficiency. This systematic review aims to identify the most effective strategies used to maintain EF, prevent decline, and promote independence in the elderly. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The search was conducted in the following databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science; the search used keywords such as "cognitive decline"; "cognitive flexibility"; "elderly"; "executive functions"; "inhibition"; "physical activity"; and "working memory". Experimental studies published between 2019 and 2025 examining the effects of PA on EFs in adults over 60 were selected. After considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine studies were included. The methodological quality of the included studies ranged from moderate to high according to the PEDro scale. Results: The analyzed studies show that short-term interventions positively affect one or two components of EFs, while medium- and long-term interventions produce benefits for all components (working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility). Interventions combined with cognitive stimulation show a greater impact than PA alone. Conclusions: PA is an effective strategy for preserving EFs in the elderly, but the lack of standardized protocols makes it difficult to identify optimal interventions. Further research is needed to more precisely define the most effective intervention approaches