Experimental evaluation of plasters durability aimed at maintenance planning and scheduling

The phase of building management has a strategic importance because of the necessary scheduling of maintenance during executive planning. Moreover, in order to obtain the greatest sustainability of the intervention, a reasonable duration of service life must be balanced with global quality-cost ratio. A contribution towards this objective is given by the reduction in the achievable resources and raw materials consumption through the improvement of the durability requirement of building and its parts. This is true even for the interventions on the existing public building stock, especially if there is lacking of maintenance planning and scheduling. This work, taking cues from a maintenance intervention "at happened breakdown" on an Engineering school building in Palermo, deals with the introduction of process innovations in the management phase, directed towards preventive intervention strategies. Beyond the collection of the informative data, the time behaviour of envelope surfaces is monitored through a viewpoint system. Particular attention has been given to the finishing plaster (rasante) layer and the relative colour, to be evaluated depending on the different technical solutions and exposure to weather conditions. The study, following the methodology of ISO 15686, also foresees accelerated ageing tests on samples of different materials, in order to formulate hypothesis and correlations on the degradation evolution, from a maintenance planning and scheduling viewpoint. The correlations were obtained by taking the colour difference as a representative parameter of the evolution of colour in natural and artificial aging conditions. The results show that the different exposure of surfaces to weathering induces a different decay of surfaces colour, compatible with that induced in the laboratory at different steps of artificial aging

Innovative siloxane coating formulations: the experimental assessment of the durability of colour

The maintenance programming of civil and industrial buildings is a relevant problem, especially in a global situation where natural resources are increasingly limited. Accurately knowing the durability of building products and components, essential for a sustainable use of resources, becomes more and more important after the recent 18 January 2011 resolution of the European Parliament, which introduced the seventh requirement on construction products, specifically regarding the sustainability and therefore the durability of such. This study concerns the evaluation of the durability of some innovative coatings based on acrylic-siloxane resins containing several pigments, used for building external decorative finishing, applied in thin thickness and of different basic components. The parameters investigated are: the surface appearance and the maintenance of the original colour, significant for the aesthetic quality of the architecture. The paper presents the first results of the experimental study on coating materials, produced by Hydrate Ltd, performed according to ISO 15686, aimed at defining the Reference Service Life, by monitoring the behaviour over time of artificially aged samples in the climatic chamber and external exposed samples, as well as the monitoring of a case study

L’APPROCCIO TECNOLOGICO PER L’EFFICIENZA ENERGETICA E LA SOSTENIBILITÀ DEL PROGETTO

Il progetto sostenibile dell’edificio, per la complessità tecnologica delle esigenze da soddisfare, l’ingente impiego di energia e il conseguente impatto sull’ambiente, impone una strategia progettuale integrata tra le diverse discipline e aspetti coinvolti (architettonico, tecnologico, impiantistico, ambientale, etc.). I caratteri morfologici e tecnologici del progetto e la natura dei materiali influiscono fortemente sull’efficienza energetica, il comfort interno e l’impatto ambientale durante il ciclo di vita, aspetti tra loro fortemente interdipendenti, su cui ormai da tempo è rivolta l’attenzione della comunità scientifica e degli enti normatori nazionali ed internazionali. L’articolo presenta un esempio di approccio complessivo alle problematiche della sostenibilità ambientale in edilizia, applicato a un caso studio di progetto di una mediateca a Palermo, in cui, a partire da un’analisi del contesto, sono state messe a confronto soluzioni progettuali e tecnologiche diverse al fine di ottimizzarne l’eco-efficienza complessiva

Cognitive thought diary in supportive psychology for people undergoing radiotherapy: a feasibility study.

BAC KGROUND: Radiation therapy (RT ) has become one of the most widely-used and efficient treatments for cancer; nevertheless, people who undergo radiotherapy suffer the physical and psychological consequences of this stressful treatment, in addition to the psychosocial distress related to cancer. However, a Radiotherapy Unit is often a place where several patients crowd in from various hospitals with restricted timetables and, for logistic reasons, it is not easy to provide regular psychological sessions for each one. It is important to find a setting that allows us the involvement of the largest number of patients referred to the unit. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and the effect of a brief intervention of cognitive-oriented diary on the quality of life, anxiety and depressive symptoms of patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT ), compared to a control group. METH ODS: The sample was constituted of 68 experimental subjects and 78 controls, treated with RT . Both groups were assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS -20), the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale (HA DS) and the EORTC -QLQ at the beginning and at the end of their RT . Experimental subjects were instructed to report emotions and thoughts before attending the RT sessions in a thought diary. RES ULTS : The experimental group showed a good adherence to the diary, a reduction in mean scores of anxiety (P<0.001), depression (P<0.001), and alexithymia (P<0.001) together with an ameliorative effect on quality of life (P<0.014), compared to control group. CONCLUSI ONS: We observed a reduction in alexithymia scores in the experimental group, together with a significant reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms and an improvement in quality of life, with a moderator role of social disparity in treatment adherence. Our outcomes suggest the opportunity to consider the diary an affordable and effective device for psychologists operating in RT units, able to be extended to the majority of patients, in a simple and replicable setting

"Diagnosis on the Dock" project: A proactive screening program for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in disembarking refugees and new SEI model.

Abstract Objective From 2011 to 2017, the total number of refugees arriving in Europe, particularly in Italy, climbed dramatically. Our aim was to diagnose pulmonary TB in migrants coming from the African coast using a clinical-based port of arrival (PoA) screening program. Methods From 2016 to 2018, migrants coming via the Mediterranean Route were screened for body temperature and the presence of cough directly on the dock: if they were feverish with productive cough, their sputum was examined with NAAT; with a dry cough, they underwent Chest-X-ray (CXR). Those migrants with positive NAAT or CXR suggestive for TB were admitted to our ward. In addition, we plotted an SEI simulation of our project to evaluate the epidemiological impact of our screening. Results Out of 33.676 disembarking migrants, 314 (0.9%) had fever and cough: 80 (25.47%) with productive cough underwent NAAT in sputum, and 16 were positive for TB; 234 (74.52%) with dry cough had a CXR examination, and 39 were suggestive of TB, later confirmed by mycobacterial culture. The SEI-new model analysis demonstrated that our screening program significantly reduced TB spreading all over the country. Conclusions For possible future high migrant flows, PoA screening for TB has to be considered feasible and effective in decreasing TB spreading

Statin therapy and outcome in Takotsubo syndrome patients: Results from the multicenter international GEIST registry

Background and aims: Several studies have shown that endothelial dysfunction plays a role in the pathogenesis of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS). Given the potential benefit of statin therapy on endothelial dysfunction, we hypothesized that such treatment could improve outcome. Aim of our study was to evaluate clinical characteristics and outcome of TTS patients treated with statin therapy. Methods: Patients were enrolled in the international multicenter GEIST (GErman Italian Spanish Takotsubo) registry. Demographic data, clinical features and drug therapy at discharge were recorded. Primary study outcome was the occurrence of all-cause death at follow-up. Results: Study population included 2429 consecutive TTS patients: 1293 (53.2%) discharged on statin and 1136 (46.8%) without statin. Patients with statin were older (age 72&nbsp;±&nbsp;11 vs 69&nbsp;±&nbsp;13 years, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001), with higher prevalence of hypertension (74.3% vs 60.3%, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001), diabetes (21.1% vs 14.7%, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001), dyslipidemia (56.1% vs 23.3%, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001), history of coronary artery disease (13.3% vs 6.3%, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001) and lower rates of in-hospital complications (14.7% vs 19.3%, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.003). Survival analysis showed similar mortality rates between groups (log rank p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.803). At univariable analysis, statin therapy at discharge was not associated with lower mortality (HR: 0.97, 95% CI 0.74-1.26, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.803). At multivariable analysis age (HR: 1.06 95% CI 1.04-1.08, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001), male sex (HR: 1.83, 95% CI 1.20-2.80, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.005), diabetes (HR: 2.55, 95% CI 1.83-3.54 p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001), malignancies (HR: 2.41, 95% CI 1.68-3.44, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001) and physical trigger (HR: 2.24, 95% CI 1.62-3.10, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001) were associated with increased mortality. Conclusions: Statin therapy after a TTS event was not associated with better prognosis at follow-up

Osservazioni

di Calogero Piro. Convertire la realtà che ci circonda in immagini, è stata fin dai primordi dell’essere umano un’atavica necessità. Ancora oggi nella nostra cultura visiva è tutto basato sull’utilizzo dell’immagine per conoscere la realtà che ci circonda. Con la scoperta della fotografia, la riflessione intorno alla natura si fa sempre più interessante. Il ruolo della macchina fotografica in questo progetto per raccontare l’ambiente, la struttura, gli oggetti, i segni, i colori e le atmosfere che caratterizzano il centro del CNR di capo Granitola ha trovato prepotentemente in questi giovani allievi della cattedra di fotografia dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, diretta dal Professore Sandro Scalia, momenti di grande professionalità, realizzando un grande reportage con tutti gli aspetti essenziali della struttura e delle articolazioni primarie del linguaggio fotografico. Questa esperienza extradidattica difficile ed impegnativa non soltanto per la necessità del confronto col “nuovo” in termini organizzativi, ma anche per la necessità di descrivere attraverso la fotografia il tema della Biodiversità, è stato affrontato brillantemente. Mettendo in primo piano, siti naturali, siti storici come: Mozia e Selinunte, i laboratori del centro di ricerche, la Flora e la Fauna, sono riusciti a raggiungere con acuta osservazione ottimi risultati visibili in questo catalogo, e con la tangibile riprova di cosa possa e debba essere una educazione estetica assolutamente “libera” da condizionamenti, viatico ineludibile perché l’espressione artistica, sotto qualunque forma, sia artefice dei grandi processi di vera maturazione culturale, si avverte in questi giovani artisti la purezza e la consapevolezza dei propri messaggi ancora privi, e speriamo sempre, di qualunque tipo di inquinamento tendenzioso

Archeologia dei paesaggi e approcci cognitivi: strumenti GIS e sistemi teorici di analisi spaziale a confronto con documentazione archeologica di antico stampo

Our study focuses on Morgantina and the surrounding area, from the Bronze Age until the fourth century A.D., a study motivated by lack informations about an area so rich in history and archaeological evidences, not all investigated. Our research is characterized by the attempt to use GIS tools and theoretical systems of spatial analysis, usually adopted by modern geographical science; instruments that we tried to use for an ancient geography’s reconstruction, having a so lacking and antiquated archaeological documentation: our intent it’s not predictive, but it’s a verification of the results of this approach opposite to an incomplete and messy archaeological record

Una griglia prestazionale per la definizione della vita utile del pannello sandwich - A performance grid for the definition of the sandwich panel service life

In a context of increased demands for sustainability of the built environment, it is essential the maintenance of specific quality levels provided by the building organisms and their parts. The knowledge of the service life of products and building components, imposed by the recent EU Regulation 305/2011, is a requirement that is spreading in the world market, between manufacturers and designers, users and operators. The international reference standard for the evaluation of the durability of materials and building components, is the ISO 15686 defining the Reference Service Life (RSL) and identifying the procedures for the estimation of the Estimated Service Life (ESL), referring to context of use and stress, through the methods: factor, stochastic and engineering methods. The ESL is calculated by correcting the values of the RSL using the factor method, based on multiplicative factors, taking into account the special circumstances and context of use. A useful support to the application of the factor method, in order to reduce the subjectivity inherent the deterministic choice of values to be assigned to the seven multiplication factors, consists of performance grids. The first results of research are here reported on the definition of the performance grid on the sandwich panel. On the basis of experiments carried out according to ISO 15686 and UNI 11156-3, developed in the last decade, the experiences of the manufacture systems and the field applications reported in specific literature, it was possible to define a proposal of performance grid, as a guide, for the calculation of ESL, by the factor method, of this technical component. The tool is useful for the implementation of the database of Reference Service Life, by which the stakeholders can draw interesting data