Drawing beyond Language and Images : Steps to Olfactory Representations

The paper investigates questions of multisensory representation and design. It focuses especially on olfactory representation and ‘smell maps’, based on the surfacing scientific literature and applications of the sense of smell in urban representation, in perfumery and in what lies between these categories, such as ‘smell art’. The main purpose is that of proposing new perspectives and possibilities to the science of Drawing, and conversely to expand the traditional knowledge of architectural representation. To do so, the paper first offers a short epistemological and theoretical framework, and then compares the state of the art of different representational regimes (visual, aural, and olfactory) and examines their analogies and differences, in order to begin exploring notions – like that of ‘projection’ – and practices that could be transferred or translated between visual, aural and olfactory information. Recent scientific papers, articles, and books – coming from different disciplinary fields which usually rely solely on visual information provided by survey and drawing, e.g., Archaeology – seem to prefigure a transition to an ‘olfactory turn’, just like the first decades of the new millennium led to an enormous and growing interest towards sound, commonly referred to as ‘sonic turn’. Besides, as the modern and contemporary world and culture still focus mostly on the visual and on language, developing tools to measure and parametrize other kinds of information can lead to discover aspects of cultural heritage which are still hidden

Interfaces: between Drawing and Design

This article explores the role of drawing in relation to design, not so much as a specific creative act, capable of informing and repre- senting design ideas, or as a ‘manifestation of the idea’ per se, but rather as a dense and sedimented knowledge that is increasingly relevant for interaction design – and extensively in any design project. Looking at examples such as video game interfaces and other everyday use artifacts, as well as theoretical reference models for the interaction design community (from Donald Norman’s to Paul Dourish’s, from Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby’s to Branden Hookway’s, etc.), it is possible to bring out and discuss the centrality of the role of drawing in rethinking strategies of the interaction project, while considering the interface as a specific ‘place’ where not only the mediation between user and designed content takes place, but also that between drawing and design is activated. If windows, mirrors, and lenses can be considered as mediation devices of the visible, interfaces of digital devices can synthesize, make coexist and multiply their functioning and consequences, for example when they are meant to relate collections of data with their possible representations. Furthermore, recent discoveries in other fields, such as chemistry and biology, lead us to rethink together both drawing and design, starting from new epistemological models which extensively rely on the notion of interface

Un'ecologia per il design dell'interazione

This article aims to contribute to the recent debate about inte- raction design criticism, starting from current theoretical models and ap- proaches which have been scarcely considered by the Human-Computer Interaction communities. Without discarding the user-centered approach, aesthetic and ecological models coming from contemporary philosophy, sociology, art criticism and media studies need to be employed to expand the view upon the theoretical models for representing and designing inte- ractions and interfaces. The focus is thus in the aesthetic experience of eve- ryday computational artifacts, while interactive art is taken as an experi- mental playground to test and research in a specific and isolated (non- ecological) context

Conjugated linoleic acid enhances glutathione synthesis and attenuates pathological signs in MRL/MpJ-Faslpr mice

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a naturally occurring peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) ligand, exhibits proapoptotic, immunomodulatory, and anticancer properties. In this study, we examined the biological effects of CLA administration in the MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr) mouse, an animal model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We found that CLA exerted apparently opposed activities in in vitro experiments, depending on its concentration: 100 microM CLA downregulated IFN gamma synthesis and cell proliferation of splenocytes, in association with apoptosis induction and a decrease of intracellular thiols (GSH + GSSG), whereas 25 microM CLA did not significantly influence cell proliferation but enhanced the expression of gamma-glutamylcysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) and intracellular GSH concentration. Interestingly, the antiproliferative effect at 100 microM was not inhibited by the PPAR gamma antagonist GW9662. In vivo, CLA administration drastically reduced SLE signs (splenomegaly, autoantibodies, and cytokine synthesis), a condition paralleled by the enhancement of GCLC expression and intracellular GSH content. Moreover, CLA administration significantly downregulated nuclear factor kappaB activity independent of PPAR gamma activation and apoptosis induction. In conclusion, enhanced GSH content and GCLC expression in CLA-treated mice suggest a novel biochemical mechanism underlying its immunomodulatory activity and the beneficial effects on murine SLE signs

Relationship between hospital volume and short-term outcomes: A nationwide population-based study including 75,280 rectal cancer surgical procedures

There is growing interest on the potential relationship between hospital volume (HV) and outcomes as it might justify the centralization of care for rectal cancer surgery. From the National Italian Hospital Discharge Dataset, data on 75,280 rectal cancer patients who underwent elective major surgery between 2002 and 2014 were retrieved and analyzed. HV was grouped into tertiles: low-volume performed 1-12, while high-volume hospitals performed 33+ procedures/year. The impact of HV on in-hospital mortality, abdominoperineal resection (APR), 30-day readmission, and length of stay (LOS) was assessed. Risk factors were calculated using multivariate logistic regression. The proportion of procedures performed in low-volume hospitals decreased by 6.7 percent (p<0.001). The rate of in-hospital mortality, APR and 30-day readmission was 1.3%, 16.3%, and 7.2%, respectively, and the median LOS was 13 days. The adjusted risk of in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.25-1.78), APR (OR 1.10, 95%CI 1.02-1.19), 30-day readmission (OR 1.49, 95%CI 1.38-1.61), and prolonged LOS (OR 2.29, 95%CI 2.05-2.55) were greater for low-volume hospitals than for high-volume hospitals. This study shows an independent impact of HV procedures on all short-term outcome measures, justifying a policy of centralization for rectal cancer surgery, a process which is underwa

Endoscopic evacuation of massive intraventricular hemorrhages reduces shunt dependency: a meta-analysis

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is characterized by severe prognosis. The amount of intraventricular blood is the most important, disease-specific, prognostic factor, as acute complications are strictly dependent on clot formation. Although external ventricular drain (EVD) placement is the standard treatment, in the past 15 years neuroendoscopic (NE) evacuation of IVH has been advocated, but available comparative data are limited. A systematic review of the literature was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Included articles compare the treatment of primary and secondary IVH with NE and EVD. The meta-analysis was performed in terms of shunt dependency. Cochran's Q-test and I2 statistics were used to assess heterogeneity in the studies. No heterogeneity was considered for p greater than 0.05 and I2 less than 20%. A random-effect model was used, with restricted maximum likelihood to estimate the heterogeneity variance. After screening 744 articles, 5 were included in the meta-analysis. A total of 303 patients presenting with primary or pure (50 patients) and secondary (253 patients) IVH, undergoing either NE (151) or EVD (152), were included in the metanalysis. The risk of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt was higher in the EVD group (relative risk: 1.93, 95% confidence interval: 1.28-2.92, p  = 0.0094). The risk of VP shunt was higher in the EVD group, but the overall outcome remains poor for patients with IVH, with a moderate-to-high disability. Large randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate more deeper both advantages and effects on the outcome of NE over EVD

Geophysical surveys for the characterization of the seismic local response at instrumented sites : a case study from a station of the Swiss strong motion network

Site characterization surveying is one of the key efforts for the understanding of local amplification effects in earthquake engineering. In this perspective, geophysical measurements for the estimation of the physical properties of the subsurface at instrumented sites are particularly important. For instance, the comparison between simulated site amplification based on the retrieved Vs profile and empirical local response observed at the station allows assessing whether the site is characterized by a purely 1D response or additional 2D-3D effects are present. We present a case study involving a site characterization measurement at a station of the Swiss strong-motion network. The survey includes active seismic data acquisition along two geophone lines, of 15 and 115 m length, for the imaging of the near-surface and deeper layers, respectively. The acquired data were interpreted in terms of P-wave refraction and Rayleigh-wave multi-modal propagation analysis. The reconstructed Vs-Vp profiles achieve a high level of accuracy over a wide depth range and allow modelling the SH-transfer function of the local soil column; the latter is in excellent agreement with the local amplification function estimated by means of empirical spectral modelling of the station’s recordings. The agreement confirms a purely 1D site response for the surveyed station

Immune senescence and immune activation in elderly colorectal cancer patients

In our previous study, we found that low thymic output and short telomere length were associated with a higher risk of tumor in elderly cancer patients. Here, we aimed to examine in depth the impact of immunological and biological senescence and immune activation on disease outcome in elderly patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).Peripheral blood samples from 81 CRC patients were studied for immune activation, immune senescence and recent thymic emigrant (RTE) CD4 and CD8 cells by flow cytometry. T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circle (TREC) levels and telomere lengths were measured by real-time PCR. Plasma levels of microbial translocation markers, LPS and sCD14, were quantified by ELISA. While TREC levels and telomere length were not prognostic of disease outcome, high percentages of immune senescent and immune activated CD8 cells were associated with a higher risk of a negative event (relapse, progression, or death) in all studied patients and disease relapse in I-Ill staged patients. Levels of sCD14 and LPS were higher in patients who will experience a negative event than in patients who will not. In conclusion, in elderly CRC patients higher immunological senescence and immune activation negatively impact the disease outcome; how these characteristics influence the antineoplastic treatments remains to be investigated

Clinical impact of first-line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer of mucinous histology: a multicenter, retrospective analysis on 685 patients

In metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC), mucinous histology has been associated with poor response rate and prognosis. We investigated whether bevacizumab combined with different chemotherapy regimens may have an impact on clinical outcomes of MCRC patients with mucinous histology

Notulae to the Italian flora of algae, bryophytes, fungi and lichens: 4

In this contribution, new data concerning bryophytes, fungi and lichens of the Italian flora are presented. It includes new records and confirmations for the bryophyte genera Campylopus, Paludella, Tortula, and Conocephalum, the fungal genera Agonimia, Buelliella, Entorrhiza, Filicupula, Poronia, and Sporisorium, the lichen genera Cladonia, Dibaeis, Lasallia, and Rhizocarpon