COVID-19 as a catalyst for collaborative city-making: from emergency to praxis

The crisis resulting from the spread of COVID-19 is having important consequences on the development of the contemporary city, notably in the rethinking of public and collective spaces. To avoid contagion, restrictive measures and social distancing have been put in place: the two main consequences have been the digitalization of many sectors and the spread of tactical urbanism actions. In this paper, it will be argued that hyperlocal, understood as a collective and participatory design facilitated by information technology, can be a solution not only to the ongoing emergency but to the challenges that contemporary society poses, since it appears to be a valuable practice in rethinking and redesigning our neighborhoods and cities in a more open, inclusive, and therefore more resilient wa

Spectroscopic response of CZT detectors obtained by the boron encapsulated vertical Bridgman method

The purpose of this paper is to present the spectral response at different energies of some CZT crystals grown with the boron oxide encapsulated vertical Bridgman method by IMEM-CNR. The most important feature of the technique is that the crystal, during the growth, is fully encapsulated by a thin layer of liquid boron oxide, so that the crystal-crucible contact is prevented. Using this material, several detectors were realized of about 4x4x1 mm3 in size and with electrical gold contacts on both the surfaces obtained by two different techniques: vacuum vaporization deposition and electroless

Clinical Features to Predict the Use of a sEMG Wearable Device (REMO®) for Hand Motor Training of Stroke Patients: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study

After stroke, upper limb motor impairment is one of the most common consequences that compromises the level of the autonomy of patients. In a neurorehabilitation setting, the implementation of wearable sensors provides new possibilities for enhancing hand motor recovery. In our study, we tested an innovative wearable (REMO®) that detected the residual surface-electromyography of forearm muscles to control a rehabilitative PC interface. The aim of this study was to define the clinical features of stroke survivors able to perform ten, five, or no hand movements for rehabilitation training. 117 stroke patients were tested: 65% of patients were able to control ten movements, 19% of patients could control nine to one movement, and 16% could control no movements. Results indicated that mild upper limb motor impairment (Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity 18 points) predicted the control of ten movements and no flexor carpi muscle spasticity predicted the control of five movements. Finally, severe impairment of upper limb motor function (Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity > 10 points) combined with no pain and no restrictions of upper limb joints predicted the control of at least one movement. In conclusion, the residual motor function, pain and joints restriction, and spasticity at the upper limb are the most important clinical features to use for a wearable REMO® for hand rehabilitation training

Intestinal morphometry, enzymatic and microbial activity in laying hens fed different levels of a Hermetia illucens larvae meal and toxic elements content of the insect meal and diets

To evaluate the effects of feeding a Hermetia illucens (HI) larvae meal on the different intestinal traits of hens, and to determine the toxic elements’ concentration in the insect meal and diets, 162 hens were randomly allotted to three groups. The control received a corn-soybean meal-based diet (SBM); the HI25 and HI50 groups received two diets in which the 25% and 50% of the dietary protein were replaced by the HI protein, respectively. The duodenal and jejunal villi height and villi/crypt were higher (p < 0.01) in the SBM than in the HI groups. The ileal villi height was higher (p < 0.05) in the SBM and HI25 groups than the HI50. The HI50 group exhibited a lower duodenal maltase activity. The intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) activity linearly decreased in the duodenum and jejunum as the dietary insect meal inclusion increased. The HI50 group had a higher acetate and butyrate level than the SBM. The levels of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) in the diets and insect meal were lower than the maximum values established by the EU Commission. The 25% soybean protein replacement with Hermetia illucens larvae meal in the diet of laying hens was more suitable and closer to the optimal level than 50%

Reproducción del falso vampiro lanudo Chrotopterus auritus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) en un bosque tropical húmedo de la costa pacífica de Guatemala

We documented one female Chrotopterus auritus in a lactation state with her calf present in the ventral part of her body. The specimen was captured with a harp trap in a humid tropical forest of the Pacific coast of Guatemala, within private natural reserve Finca Patrocinio, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala on May 29th, 2017. There is little information about this species’ biology, especially within Guatemala, which reflects the importance of further studies on the wild behavior of this species.Documentamos una hembra de Chrotopterus auritus en estado de lactancia con su cría presente en la parte ventral de su cuerpo. El espécimen fue capturado con una trampa de arpa en un bosque tropical húmedo de la costa del Pacífico de Guatemala, dentro de la reserva natural privada Finca Patrocinio, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala el 29 de mayo de 2017. Hay poca información sobre la biología de esta especie, especialmente en Guatemala, lo que refleja la importancia de nuevos estudios sobre el comportamiento silvestre de esta especie

Monitoring of environmental pollutants in aquatic organisms: toxicological risk assessment

The research activity of the PhD project in Veterinary Science aimed at determining the presence of environmental pollutants in aquatic organisms to improve the current knowledge on animal biomonitoring and provide the toxicological risk assessment connected, concerning the link between pollution and human and animal health. Many industrial pollutants, especially micropollutants, have adverse effects at very low concentrations. It is therefore important to early detect the presence of these compounds directly or through particular molecular biomarkers found in living organism. As a matter of fact, the search of these substances in the natural environment, is not always easy as they are often present below the detection threshold. In aquatic ecosystems, the use of invertebrate species seems to be an appropriate way of monitoring the environmental quality, due to their general capacity to accumulate pollutants, either from sediments and surrounding water or from food sources. The research activity wes carried out on the following aquatic organisms: • The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is a mollusc belonging to the class Cephalopoda. It is considered a cosmopolitan species as its range extends from the eastern Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea and at least to Senegal in Africa. Octopus vulgaris constitutes an important marine resource suitable for human consumption; however, they can represent a source of chemical contaminants intake particularly of heavy metals. The aims of this study were to determine (i) the levels of heavy metals (Pb, Cd and Hg) in the muscle and digestive gland of octopus caught from two different locations along Campania coast, as well as (ii) to estimate their weekly human intake derived from the ingestion of octopus. The analysis of 38 samples showed a higher concentration of Pb in the muscle of octopus in one of the sampling sites. Differences were observed between the two tissue types, with a higher level of Cd and Pb observed in the digestive gland compared to the muscle. Noteworthy, the consumption of O. vulgaris captured in some areas could increase Pb intake in heavy consumers of local fish products. The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852), is an invasive freshwater species that originated in the north eastern Mexico and south-central United States. This species has been imported into Italy in the seventies, mainly for aquaculture purpose. Nowadays it is one of the most diffuse crayfish species in several European countries and is able to tolerate extreme and polluted environmentrs, accumulating heavy metals and toxins in its tissue, mainly in the hepatopancreas. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the levels of Cd, Pb, Hg, As, Cr, Cu and Zn in muscle and in hepatopancreas of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii, Girard, 1852) collected from two different sites in Campania (Italy), Villa Literno and Sessa Aurunca, to provide data for both human health and the ecological risk assessment. The general evidence was that crayfishes from accumulated higher levels of metals (As, Cu, Zn and Cr) in the hepatopancreas than in the muscle. The results obtained in the current study showed low levels of Cd, Pb and Hg and largely below the MLR established by the European Commission for muscle from crustacean appendages. These results suggested a limited Cd, Pb and Hg contamination in the sampling sites and were indicative of low risk for human consumption. Our data showed that P. clarkii can be considered a good bioindicator for metal pollution in the study areas. • The warty crab (Eriphia verrucosa) is a bentonic species found in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from Brittany to Mauritania and the Azores. It is highly fecund and is reported to feed on bivalves, gastropods, and hermit crabs, or on mollusks and polychaetes. Eriphia verrucose shows a preferential uptake of pollutants from sediments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of As, Cr and Pb and the content of six PAHs in edible muscle of warty crab from various coastal areas of Campania region. Results showed that PAHs and metals concentration in warty crab were always lower than the legal limits established by the European Commission. • The red seaweed, Kappaphycus alvarezii and Kappaphycus striatum are cultivated extensively as a source of carrageenan which have been used for decades in food applications and are generally regarded as safe. There are different studies in literature on the chemical-nutritional characteristics and the benefits of their use, but further studies are needed to identify any toxicological risks related to their use. Aims of this study were to evaluate the presence of chemical constituents and to quantify toxic and essential elements in two species of red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii and Kappaphycus striatum collected in Palau Bidong (Malaysia), in order to assess their potential use as additive in animal nutrition and the possible health risks related to animal consumption. The total amount of trace elements in K. alvarezii was almost double than in K. striatum, in agreement to the differences in ash percentages. On the whole, due to the low amount of protein on dry matter, red seaweeds K. alvarezii should be used in animals nutrtion under intensive production as mineral additive. • The edible mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is among the most commonly used sentinel organisms for the monitoring of biological effects of various contaminants in the marine. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental pollutants of industrial origin that can contaminate food, mainly food of animal origin. Although production of PCBs has been banned in many countries since the 1980s, they are still present in the environment and are considered dangerous pollutants for human health. New analytical approaches are useful to monitor the presence of such contaminants in seafood products and in the environment. In this work, we evaluate changes in protein expression of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) experimentally exposed to a PCB mixture and identify chemically specific protein expression signatures by using a proteomic approach. In particular, we identify 21 proteins whose levels of expression are sensibly modified after 3 weeks of exposure. The present work shows that a proteomic approach can be a useful tool to study alterations of protein expression in mussels exposed to PCBs and represents a first step toward the development of screening protocols to be used for biomonitoring surveys of fishery products

The city as a software. A paradigm shift in the era of global crisis

The transition from an industrial society to one of information has had huge impacts on the development of the contemporary city. The latter can now be seen more like a software than hardware. A vast and complex urban digital ecosystem extract, aggregate and analyze big data in order to predict citizens’ behavior and to provide better services to them. When the city is software and everything is information, the IT corporations can easily start transforming the physical space of our cities with new products and services or through the design, construction, and management of new smart neighborhoods. The Covid-19 outbreak clearly showed the power of new digital technologies, and so the opportunities and the risks related to their diffusion. The pandemic must be seen not like an exceptional event, but more like a manifestation of the wider environmental crisis. From this perspective, how the city seen as software can help us to achieve sustainability, understood here in its three meanings: economic, social, and environmental? How can we use new technologies to contribute to the creation of a more sustainable and more inclusive society