Analysis of the Slow Food movement impact on the farmers and rural areas’ sustainable development

The evaluation of the farmers’ communities’ approach to the Slow Food vision, their perception of the Slow Food role in supporting their activity and their appreciation and expectations from participating in the event of Mother Earth were studied. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model was adopted in an agro-food sector context. A survey was conducted, 120 questionnaires from farmers attending the Mother Earth in Turin in 2010 were collected. The descriptive statistical analysis showed that both Slow Food membership and participation to Mother Earth Meeting were much appreciated for the support provided to their business and the contribution to a more sustainable and fair development. A positive social, environmental and psychological impact on farmers also resulted. Results showed also an interesting perspective on the possible universality of the Slow Food and Mother Earth values. Farmers declared that Slow Food is supporting them by preserving the biodiversity and orienting them to the use of local resources and reducing the chemical inputs. Many farmers mentioned the language/culture and administration/bureaucratic issues as an obstacle to be a member in the movement and to participate to the event. Participation to Mother Earth gives an opportunity to exchange information with other farmers’ communities and to participate to seminars and debates, helpful for their business development. The absolute majority of positive answers associated to the farmers’ willingness to relate to Slow Food and participate to the next Mother Earth editions negatively influenced the UTAUT model results. A factor analysis showed that the variables associated to the UTAUT model constructs Performance Expectancy and Effort Expectancy were consistent, able to explain the construct variability, and their measurement reliable. Their inclusion in a simplest Technology Acceptance Model could be considered in future researches.

From inverted pendulum to N-link chain: inertial sensors-based assessment of movement kinematics and dynamics for functional evaluation and rehabilitation

Despite several clinical tests that have been developed to qualitatively describe complex motor tasks by functional testing, these methods often depend on clinicians' interpretation, experience and training, which make the assessment results inconsistent, without the precision required to objectively assess the effect of the rehabilitative intervention. A more detailed characterization is required to fully capture the various aspects of motor control and performance during complex movements of lower and upper limbs. The need for cost-effective and clinically applicable instrumented tests would enable quantitative assessment of performance on a subject-specific basis, overcoming the limitations due to the lack of objectiveness related to individual judgment, and possibly disclosing subtle alterations that are not clearly visible to the observer. Postural motion measurements at additional locations, such as lower and upper limbs and trunk, may be necessary in order to obtain information about the inter-segmental coordination during different functional tests involved in clinical practice. With these considerations in mind, this Thesis aims: i) to suggest a novel quantitative assessment tool for the kinematics and dynamics evaluation of a multi-link kinematic chain during several functional motor tasks (i.e. squat, sit-to-stand, postural sway), using one single-axis accelerometer per segment, ii) to present a novel quantitative technique for the upper limb joint kinematics estimation, considering a 3-link kinematic chain during the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment and using one inertial measurement unit per segment. The suggested methods could have several positive feedbacks from clinical practice. The use of objective biomechanical measurements, provided by inertial sensor-based technique, may help clinicians to: i) objectively track changes in motor ability, ii) provide timely feedback about the effectiveness of administered rehabilitation interventions, iii) enable intervention strategies to be modified or changed if found to be ineffective, and iv) speed up the experimental sessions when several subjects are asked to perform different functional tests.

Movement Analysis by means of inertial sensors: from bench to bedside

in the everyday clinical practice. Having this in mind, the choice of a simple setup would not be enough because, even if the setup is quick and simple, the instrumental assessment would still be in addition to the daily routine. The will to overcome this limit has led to the idea of instrumenting already existing and widely used functional tests. In this way the sensor based assessment becomes an integral part of the clinical assessment. Reliable and validated signal processing methods have been successfully implemented in Personal Health Systems based on smartphone technology. At the end of this research project there is evidence that such solution can really and easily used in clinical practice in both supervised and unsupervised settings. Smartphone based solution, together or in place of dedicated wearable sensing units, can truly become a pervasive and low-cost means for providing suitable testing solutions for quantitative movement analysis with a clear clinical value, ultimately providing enhanced balance and mobility support to an aging population.

Tra pacifismo e ambientalismo: il Nuclear Freeze Movement e la risposta dell'amministrazione Reagan

Negli anni Ottanta si assiste tanto nel vecchio quanto nel nuovo continente alla rinascita del movimento antinucleare. Mentre in Europa l’origine di questa ondata di proteste antinucleari è collegata alla “doppia decisione” NATO del 1979, negli Stati Uniti la genesi si colloca nel contesto dalla mobilitazione dei gruppi ambientalisti in seguito all’incidente alla centrale nucleare di Three Mile Island. Dopo l’elezione di Ronald Reagan, alle proteste contro le applicazioni pacifiche dell’atomo si affiancarono quelle contro la politica nucleare del Paese. La retorica di Reagan, il massiccio piano di riarmo, unitamente al rinnovato deteriorarsi delle relazioni tra USA e URSS contribuirono a diffondere nell’opinione pubblica la sensazione che l’amministrazione Reagan, almeno da un punto di vista teorico, non avesse escluso dalle sue opzioni il ricorso alle armi nucleari nel caso di un confronto con l’URSS. I timori legati a questa percezione produssero una nuova ondata di proteste che assunsero dimensioni di massa grazie alla mobilitazione provocata dalla Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign (NWFC). Il target della NWFC era l’ampio programma di riarmo nucleare sostenuto da Reagan, che secondo gli attivisti nucleari, in un quadro di crescenti tensioni internazionali, avrebbe fatto aumentare le possibilità di uno scontro atomico. Per evitare lo scenario dell’olocausto nucleare, la NWFC proponeva «un congelamento bilaterale e verificabile del collaudo, dell’installazione e della produzione di armi nucleari». L’idea del nuclear freeze, che era concepito come un passo per fermare la spirale del riarmo e tentare successivamente di negoziare riduzioni negli arsenali delle due superpotenze, riscosse un tale consenso nell’opinione pubblica americana da indurre l’amministrazione Reagan a formulare una risposta specifica. Durante la primavera del 1982 fu, infatti, creato un gruppo interdipartimentale ad hoc, l’Arms Control Information Policy Group, con il compito di arginare l’influenza della NWFC sull’opinione pubblica americana e formulare una risposta coerente alle critiche del movimento antinucleare.

The reconstruction of skeletal movement: the soft tissue artefact issue

In 3D human movement analysis performed using stereophotogrammetric systems and skin markers, bone pose can only be estimated in an indirect fashion. During a movement, soft tissue deformations make the markers move with respect to the underlying bone generating soft tissue artefact (STA). STA has devastating effects on bone pose estimation and its compensation remains an open question. The aim of this PhD thesis was to contribute to the solution of this crucial issue. Modelling STA using measurable trial-specific variables is a fundamental prerequisite for its removal from marker trajectories. Two STA model architectures are proposed. Initially, a thigh marker-level artefact model is presented. STA was modelled as a linear combination of joint angles involved in the movement. This model was calibrated using ex-vivo and in-vivo STA invasive measures. The considerable number of model parameters led to defining STA approximations. Three definitions were proposed to represent STA as a series of modes: individual marker displacements, marker-cluster geometrical transformations (MCGT), and skin envelope shape variations. Modes were selected using two criteria: one based on modal energy and another on the selection of modes chosen a priori. The MCGT allows to select either rigid or non-rigid STA components. It was also empirically demonstrated that only the rigid component affects joint kinematics, regardless of the non-rigid amplitude. Therefore, a model of thigh and shank STA rigid component at cluster-level was then defined. An acceptable trade-off between STA compensation effectiveness and number of parameters can be obtained, improving joint kinematics accuracy. The obtained results lead to two main potential applications: the proposed models can generate realistic STAs for simulation purposes to compare different skeletal kinematics estimators; and, more importantly, focusing only on the STA rigid component, the model attains a satisfactory STA reconstruction with less parameters, facilitating its incorporation in an pose estimator.

Reduced muscle mass and bone size in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND: Decreased bone mineral density has been reported in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We used peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) to assess bone mineralization, geometry, and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) in pediatric IBD. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, pQCT of the forearm was applied in 143 IBD patients (mean age 13.9 +/- 3.5 years); 29% were newly diagnosed, 98 had Crohn's disease, and 45 had ulcerative colitis. Auxological data, cumulative glucocorticoid dose, disease activity indices, laboratory markers for inflammation, and bone metabolism were related to the results of pQCT. RESULTS: Patients were compromised in height (-0.82 +/- 1.1 SD), weight (-0.77 +/- 1.0 SD), muscle mass (-1.12 +/- 1.0 SD), and total bone cross-sectional area (-0.79 +/- 1.0 SD) compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls (z-scores). In newly diagnosed patients, the ratio of bone mineral mass per muscle CSA was higher than in those with longer disease duration (1.00 versus 0.30, P = 0.007). Serum albumin level and disease activity correlated with muscle mass, accounting for 41.0% of variability in muscle mass (P < 0.01). The trabecular bone mineral density z-score was on average at the lower normal level (-0.40 +/- 1.3 SD, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced bone geometry was explained only in part by reduced height. Bone disease in children with IBD seems to be secondary to muscle wasting, which is already present at diagnosis. With longer disease duration, bone adapts to the lower muscle CSA. Serum albumin concentration is a good marker for muscle wasting and abnormal bone development.

Eye movement and diffusion tensor imaging analysis of treatment effects in a Niemann-Pick Type C patient

New treatment options for Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) have recently become available. To assess the efficiency and efficacy of these new treatment markers for disease status and progression are needed. Both the diagnosis and the monitoring of disease progression are challenging and mostly rely on clinical impression and functional testing of horizontal eye movements. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides information about the microintegrity especially of white matter. We show here in a case report how DTI and measures derived from this imaging method can serve as adjunct quantitative markers for disease management in Niemann-Pick Type C. Two approaches are taken--first, we compare the fractional anisotropy (FA) in the white matter globally between a 29-year-old NPC patient and 18 healthy age-matched controls and show the remarkable difference in FA relatively early in the course of the disease. Second, a voxelwise comparison of FA values reveals where white matter integrity is compromised locally and demonstrate an individualized analysis of FA changes before and after 1year of treatment with Miglustat. This method might be useful in future treatment trials for NPC to assess treatment effects.

Mechanical bowel preparation and antimicrobial prophylaxis in elective colorectal surgery in Switzerland--a survey

The aim of this study was to assess the use of mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) and antimicrobial prophylaxis in elective colorectal surgery in Switzerland.

Avoidance and inhibition do not predict nonrespondent bias among patients with inflammatory bowel disease

It has been suggested that participant withdrawal from studies can bias estimates. However, this is only possible when withdrawers and nonwithdrawers differ in an important way. We tested the hypothesis that withdrawers are more likely than nonwithdrawers to be avoidant and negatively affected.

[The effect of stress-relieving interventions on inflammatory bowel disease: quality assessment of 10 therapeutic studies]

Patient comments and empirical studies suggest an influence of stress on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). We performed a quality assessment of previous studies on the effect of stress reduction on IBD in order to formulate recommendations for future studies and to evaluate their potential for improvement.

Appropriateness of therapy for fistulizing Crohn's disease: findings from a national inflammatory bowel disease cohort

About 30-50% of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) develop fistulae, implying significant disease burden and complicated clinical management.

Feasibility of small bowel flow rate measurement with MRI

To evaluate whether it is feasible to measure the segmental flux of small bowel content using MR phase-contrast (PC) pulse sequences.