Explore the vast range of titles available.

The Past as Digital Playground: Archaeology, Virtual Reality, and Video Games collects the contributions to a two-day conference which illustrate a digital project developed at the Archaeological and Technological Park of Poggibonsi (Siena, Tuscany), where Virtual Reality and an educational video game are being used to enhance the archaeological content deriving from the excavation of the medieval site. In recent decades, digital technologies have pervaded every aspect of the production of archaeological knowledge, from data collection to analysis and interpretation, to interaction with the public. The increasing convenience of 3D and interactive technologies has led to a proliferation of digital tools (VR, AR, mobile applications) used to communicate the past in a more engaging way, offering the public an experience that takes place largely outside of the traditional channels. Alongside the experience at Poggibonsi, the book also gathers important contributions originating from other Italian and international case studies in the fields of digital technologies applied to archaeological heritage.

The \"Johannes\" project represents an innovative intersection of archaeology and artificial intelligence, aiming to reconstruct and simulate the consciousness of a medieval individual based on extensive archaeological data. By utilizing AI, specifically a ChatGPT model, the project seeks to bridge the gap between material culture and digital self-awareness. The AI is populated with data from the archaeological site of Miranduolo, integrating information about the village's historical context, material culture, and societal structures from the 7th to the early 14th century. This project explores the challenges of limiting the AI's knowledge to what would have been known by a 12th-century individual, thereby enriching the AI's \"memories\" with sensory experiences and historically plausible narratives. The project raises significant questions about the potential of AI in historical reconstruction, particularly in the simulation of emotions, empathy, and self-awareness. Ultimately, \"Johannes\" is not merely an intelligent collection of data but an experimental artificial being capable of critical thought, subjective experiences, and emotional expression. The implications of this project extend beyond archaeology, offering new perspectives on the use of AI in understanding the past and its potential as a teaching tool and a medium for theoretical exploration.

The \"Johannes\" project represents an innovative intersection of archaeology and artificial intelligence, aiming to reconstruct and simulate the consciousness of a medieval individual based on extensive archaeological data. By utilizing AI, specifically a ChatGPT model, the project seeks to bridge the gap between material culture and digital self-awareness. The AI is populated with data from the archaeological site of Miranduolo, integrating information about the village's historical context, material culture, and societal structures from the 7th to the early 14th century. This project explores the challenges of limiting the AI's knowledge to what would have been known by a 12th-century individual, thereby enriching the AI's \"memories\" with sensory experiences and historically plausible narratives. The project raises significant questions about the potential of AI in historical reconstruction, particularly in the simulation of emotions, empathy, and self-awareness. Ultimately, \"Johannes\" is not merely an intelligent collection of data but an experimental artificial being capable of critical thought, subjective experiences, and emotional expression. The implications of this project extend beyond archaeology, offering new perspectives on the use of AI in understanding the past and its potential as a teaching tool and a medium for theoretical exploration.

This book collects the contributions to a two-day conference which illustrate a digital project developed at the Archaeological and Technological Park of Poggibonsi (Siena, Tuscany), where Virtual Reality and an educational video game are being used to enhance the archaeological content deriving from the excavation of the medieval site.

Negli ultimi decenni le tecnologie digitali hanno pervaso ogni aspetto della produzione del sapere archeologico, dalla raccolta dei dati alla loro analisi e interpretazione, all'interazione con il pubblico. La sempre maggiore comodità del 3D e delle tecnologie interattive hanno portato ad un proliferare di strumenti digitali (VR, AR, applicazioni mobili), utilizzati per comunicare il passato in modo più coinvolgente, offrendo al pubblico un'esperienza che si svolge in gran parte al di fuori dei canali tradizionali. Questa pubblicazione raccoglie i contributi di un convegno di due giorni che illustra un progetto digitale sviluppato presso il Parco Archeologico e Tecnologico di Poggibonsi (Siena, Toscana) dove vengono utilizzati la virtual reality e i serious games per valorizzare i contenuti archeologici derivanti dal scavo del sito medievale. Il libro comprende anche alcuni importanti contributi provenienti da altri casi studio italiani e internazionali nel campo delle tecnologie digitali applicate ai beni archeologici.

The aim of this paper is to present a preliminary study focused on the definition of the topics of the secondary settlements in Italy. The term ‘secondary’ is in current use by archaeologists to categorise a type of settlement – called also agglomération secondaire – falling between the town and the villa (Leveau 2012; Garmy 2012). It is, however, common ground in the archaeological literature to employ the term for locations having a specific role in the cursus publicus and/or as agglomerations of a type known in Italian as ‘vicanico’. In order to define secondary settlements in their specificity throughout

A global effort is currently undertaken to restrain the COVID-19 pandemic. Host immunity has come out as a determinant for COVID-19 clinical outcomes, and several studies investigated the immune profiling of SARS-CoV-2 infected people to properly direct the clinical management of the disease. Thus, lymphopenia, T-cell exhaustion, and the increased levels of inflammatory mediators have been described in COVID-19 patients, in particular in severe cases 1 . Age represents a key factor in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality 2 . Understanding age-associated immune signatures of patients are therefore important to identify preventive and therapeutic strategies. In this study, we investigated the immune profile of COVID-19 hospitalized patients identifying a distinctive age-dependent immune signature associated with disease severity. Indeed, defined circulating factors - CXCL8, IL-10, IL-15, IL-27, and TNF-α - positively correlate with older age, longer hospitalization, and a more severe form of the disease and may thus represent the leading signature in critical COVID-19 patients.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer’s attitude towards cause-related marketing (CRM). In detail, it aims to assess the relationship between CRM and consumer’s brand loyalty, and whether this relationship is moderated by consumer’s perception of corporate social behaviours. Moreover, the research looks for differences in the above relationship on two samples of consumers born and living in different countries and therefore with different cultural backgrounds.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a quantitative methodology using a survey conducted among Italian and Japanese consumers. Ordinary least square regressions models are developed to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings of this paper indicate a positive relationship between the consumers’ perception of CRM and their brand loyalty perception, regardless the country of origin. Accordingly, the authors found a similar pattern of CRM perception among Italian and Japanese consumers. In addition, the authors found that CRM and the consumers’ perception of corporate social behaviours are not complementary, in the sense their joint effect does not affect consumer’s brand loyalty.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies addressing the issue concerning the CRM perception of people with in different cultures. In this regard, this study suggests that CRM impacts on brand loyalty regardless the country of origin (Italy and Japan), and consumers’ characteristics such as age, gender, background. In addition, the study indicates that the perceived corporate social responsibility does not increase the effect of CRM on brand loyalty.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer’s attitude towards cause-related marketing (CRM). In detail, it aims to assess the relationship between CRM and consumer’s brand loyalty, and whether this relationship is moderated by consumer’s perception of corporate social behaviours. Moreover, the research looks for differences in the above relationship on two samples of consumers born and living in different countries and therefore with different cultural backgrounds.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a quantitative methodology using a survey conducted among Italian and Japanese consumers. Ordinary least square regressions models are developed to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings of this paper indicate a positive relationship between the consumers’ perception of CRM and their brand loyalty perception, regardless the country of origin. Accordingly, the authors found a similar pattern of CRM perception among Italian and Japanese consumers. In addition, the authors found that CRM and the consumers’ perception of corporate social behaviours are not complementary, in the sense their joint effect does not affect consumer’s brand loyalty.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies addressing the issue concerning the CRM perception of people with in different cultures. In this regard, this study suggests that CRM impacts on brand loyalty regardless the country of origin (Italy and Japan), and consumers’ characteristics such as age, gender, background. In addition, the study indicates that the perceived corporate social responsibility does not increase the effect of CRM on brand loyalty.

This research observes the relationship between industry 4.0 technologies (i.e., Internet of Things or IoT, machine learning, blockchain technology, and big data) and supply chain performance (SCP) with the mediating role of technological intensity in manufacturing firms using a resource-based view (RBV). Marketing strategy alignment is used as a moderator between technological intensity and SCP. The PLS-SEM is used, and 340 responses are used for the final analysis, collected using a simple random sampling technique. Multiple regressions were used to test hypotheses. IoT, blockchain technology, and technological intensity improve SCP. In contrast, machine learning and big data do not directly influence SCP. IoT, machine learning, big data, and blockchain technology significantly determine technological intensity. Besides, technological intensity significantly mediates industry 4.0 technologies and SCP. Finally, marketing strategy alignment strengthens the relationship between technological intensity and SCP. This research recommends that management implement industry 4.0 technologies, technological intensity, and marketing strategy alignment to improve SCP. This initial research examines industry 4.0 technologies, technological intensity, and marketing strategy alignment influence on SCP by using RBV.