The abandoned churches of Italy Causes, significances and future management possibilities

To commence this conference, the following essay presents the results of the Church Census for the Diocese of Bologna in comparison with national statistics regarding the number of churches and priests in other Italian dioceses. The Census of Italian Churches is then contextualized in a sequence of historical representations within the ecclesiastical landscape, reflecting an evaluation with regards to a new orderliness and its potential usefulness both in relation to a deeper knowledge of the buildings and to a more efficient management. The distribution of Churches in the dioceses of Bologna confirms the national trend which displays a higher density in rural areas and a residential decline, where the clergy is not interested in starting processes of restoration and promotion. Given these results, it is then necessary to expand social and institutional programs in order to generate territorial plans aimed to manage not a single church but their plurality which emerges in the landscape as a real territorial infrastructure

Soft Infrastructure as Landscape – A Methodology for the Assessment and Improvement of the User Experience of Soft Mobility

AbstractHow could Soft Infrastructure qualify the landscape around them? This study aims to provide a methodological framework for the analysis and for the design of cycling paths as a mean to discover the landscape and its qualities. The research project used case studies from the Western United States and in particular the city of Eugene, Oregon to envision a methodology to qualify Cycling Paths in the Landscape

Dynamic Characterization of the Eiffel Tower

Abstract The Eiffel tower is the most visited monument in the world. Millions of visitors have taken millions of pictures of it over the last century but apparently a dynamic picture (that is a dynamic characterization) does not exist or is not publicly available. In this paper we show the amount of information that can be extracted from a few recordings of ambient tremor collected on the tower and on the surrounding subsoil with a single pocket seismometer in a few minutes, during a leisure visit. We also propose a numerical model for the tower, capable to fit the observed data. This is interesting because the mass and stiffness distribution of the tower is unique and does not follow any modern construction rule. The dynamic model of the tower would also be important if Paris were a high seismic hazard town, which is not. According to our model, the tower could withstand peak ground accelerations >100% larger than the values prescribed by current seismic hazard estimates. Regarding the wind, Eiffel could only study its effects from a static planar point of view, while the model allowed us to follow a 3D approach and to assess the expected displacements under different loads. Last, the dynamic model of the tower is also important to better design the future interventions and to monitor the ageing of the structure

Climate Aridity under Changing Conditions and Implications for the Agricultural Sector: Italy as a Case Study

A comprehensive diachronic analysis (1951–2010) of precipitation and temperature regimes has been carried out at the national and regional scale in Italy to investigate the impact of climate aridity on the agricultural system. Trends in climate aridity have been also analysed using UNEP aridity index which is the ratio between rainfall and potential evapotranspiration on a yearly basis. During the examined time period, and particularly in the most recent years, a gradual reduction in rainfall and growing temperatures have been observed which have further widened the gap between precipitation amounts and water demand in agriculture

Glauco Gresleri (1930–2016). Parole, progetti, relazioni

Numero monografico di in_bo, vol. 10, n. 14 (2019) GLAUCO GRESLERI (1930–2016). PAROLE, PROGETTI, RELAZIONI A cura di Luigi Bartolomei, Marianna Gaetani e Sofia Nannini Full issue: https://in_bo.unibo.it/issue/view/810/showToc Una raccolta di saggi e ricerche, a firma di studiosi italiani e non, che inseriscono l'opera di Gresleri all'interno di molteplici questioni legate alla Storia dell'Architettura italiana (ed europea) del secondo Novecento. Il volume racchiude anche una ricca documentazione tratta dall'archivio privato del progettista

Guardare Gresleri per riscoprire la modernità di Bologna

Un seminario itinerante attraverso le opere di Glauco Gresleri, occasione di riflessione sulle riverberazioni del Moderno nel quotidiano di una città distratt

Climate Aridity under Changing Conditions and Implications for the Agricultural Sector: Italy as a Case Study

A comprehensive diachronic analysis (1951–2010) of precipitation and temperature regimes has been carried out at the national and regional scale in Italy to investigate the impact of climate aridity on the agricultural system. Trends in climate aridity have been also analysed using UNEP aridity index which is the ratio between rainfall and potential evapotranspiration on a yearly basis. During the examined time period, and particularly in the most recent years, a gradual reduction in rainfall and growing temperatures have been observed which have further widened the gap between precipitation amounts and water demand in agriculture

Cost minimization analysis of BoNT-As in the treatment of upper limb spasticity and cervical dystonia

Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injections are recommended for the management of upper limb spasticity (ULS) and cervical dystonia (CD). The main aim of this cost minimization analysis (CMA) was to compare the annual cost per patient for three BoNT-As (Botox®, Dysport® and Xeomin®) in the treatment of ULS or CD in Italy. A budget impact analysis (BIA) was also conducted. Methods The CMA was conducted from the perspective of the Italian National Health Service. Only direct medical costs (BoNT-A and standard therapy) were considered. By using a Delphi panel of twelve Italian Experts in the treatment of ULS and CD, data was collected about BoNT-As (dose, number of administrations and acquisition price) and standard therapy (concomitant medications, visits, Day-Hospital, hospitalizations, etc.). Costs were assessed in Euros 2014. The BIA was conducted to evaluate the pharmaceutical expenditure for the three BoNT-As on a five-year time horizon. A sensitivity analysis was conducted. Results The mean annual cost per patient with ULS was €1,840.20 with Dysport®, €2,067.12 with Botox® and €2,171.05 with Xeomin®. The mean annual cost per patient with CD was €1,353.79 with Dysport®, €1,433.12 with Botox® and €1,503.60 with Xeomin®. In the time horizon considered, the substitution process of Botox® and Xeomin® by Dysport® would result in a total saving of €620,000 when treating ULS and a total saving of €481,000 in the case of CD. Sensitivity and probabilistic analyses showed the robustness of results. Conclusions From the Italian National Health Service's perspective, Dysport® appears to be the cost-saving therapeutic option compared with Botox® and Xeomin® in the treatment of ULS or CD

Spatial genetic structure in the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) meta-population from its core range in Italy

We characterized the genetic structure of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) meta-population living in the core of its Italian distribution range providing results from 191 fresh spraints, collected from 24 watercourses included in Southern Italy. Furthermore, according to ecological corridors and barriers, we discuss the likely ways of movement and possible evolutionary fate of these populations. We genotyped 136 samples using 11 Lut microsatellite nuclear markers amplified from faecal dna. Microsatellites were moderately variable (Ho = 0.45; He = 0.46), with a total number of alleles and average number of alleles per locus in the meta-population of 50 and 4.54, respectively. No significant heterozygosity excess was observed in meta-population suggesting no recent population bottlenecks. Bayesian clustering discriminated a sub-structuring of the meta-population in five putative clusters, indicating that local populations are genetically differentiated: three of these seem to be identifiable with geographically defined sub-populations (from the Cilento, Agri and Basento river basins). The fourth is represented by multiple sub-populations with admixed genotype, that include genotypes from the Lao, Sinni and Abatemaco river basins, living in a landscape with the higher environmental permeability. Landscape genetic analysis could provide evidence of an unexpected ecological corridor: the seacoast, highlighted, for the first time as a new way for the dispersion of the South-Italian otters. Deepening the knowledge of these perspectives is crucial to identify solid strategies aimed at the future health of the populations of the Italian otters, by restoring dispersal corridors and managing the watercourses