Raw Earth Construction Perspectives in Italy: An Overview Through the Rehabilitations of Casa Fenu in Villamassargia, Sardinia, and Casa di Teresa in Casalincontrada, Abruzzo

A detailed analysis of the rehabilitation processes of two publicly owned buildings in Sardinia and Abruzzo is taken as a basis for describing the background, difficulties and possible future developments of raw earth as a building material in Italy. Earthen construction techniques, despite a rich tradition and extensive documentation, are still considered outdated, and their use today requires a fortunate confluence of contextual factors. Archival research, literature review and a study of manuals were coupled with an examination of urban plans and public policies, as well as interviews with experts and stakeholders. This multi-approach research shows that there is a strong need to appropriate traditional knowledge so as to translate local skills into viable solutions able to meet today’s needs. The key issue may be investment in training and dissemination. The mindset of the artisan, that of the homo faber (Sennet 2008), needs to be more widely associated with action toward sustainable local development

Is there a future for marginal communities?

[EN] In relatively marginal and isolated settings, changes in socio-cultural contexts and population reduction have contributed to the decay, abandonment and gradual disappearance of traditional ways of living and vernacular heritage. Associations and foundations often play a key mediating and facilitating role in countering these phenomena, supporting the survival of local communities and tangible and intangible expressions of heritage.In the context of the seminar cycle “Rehabilitation of traditional heritage and local development”, ten international case studies of unconventional practices of community-rooted rehabilitation from North and West Africa, South-East Asia, Latin America, and Southern Europe were selected.The cases were analysed through a multi-criteria approach to interpret common features and links in three dimensions: 1) organization and structure of associations and foundations; 2) technical methodology of recovery interventions, emphasizing the mobilization and transmission of traditional knowledge and skills; 3) generative potential for self-sustaining initiatives and community empowerment. Qualitative and quantitative data have been gathered based on a literature review of publications and reports, international seminars, meetings, and semi-structured interviews.The results highlighted the strong relationship between the external actors' success in rooty themselves in the local context and the empowerment of communities as well as the settling of their practices over time. The greatest opportunities for economic and cultural development are those in which a holistic vision in the care of the community and its cultural landscape was adopted. The reinforcement of the role of local craftspeople and inhabitants also proved to be crucial.The study showed that caring for a living heritage and its community implies a sensitivity for the past but also an updating and a creative reinterpretation of heritage in response to present and future demands.Bocci, M. (2022). Is there a future for marginal communities?. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 807-814. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1521880781

Recovering the heritage and building traditions of the village of Tacora, Chile

Tacora is a village in the Chilean highlands with an extraordinary natural and cultural landscape. During the last years, its population has migrated massively to the city of Arica. In 2018, the community and the Fundación Altiplano organized a training program for the restoration of the façades of its buildings. The program employed and qualified community members in traditional building trades related to construction with earth, stone and wood. This training program opens up a horizon of new opportunities for sustainable development related to the extraordinary cultural heritage of Tacora

Così rivivono i pueblos

Nell’ambito delle attività della Fundacion Altiplano, nel villaggio di Tacora, a più di 4000 metri di quota, abitanti e professionisti hanno lavorato in sinergia nel recupero del patrimonio locale

Fair Play: Why Reliable Data for Low-Tech Construction and Non-conventional Materials Are Needed

The paper proposes considerations stemming from the analysis of twenty-two buildings that show different approaches to ‘vegetarian architecture’—a theoretical stance based on principles learnt from agriculture and nutrition. The first phase consisted in a systematic investigation of the constructional characteristics of each building, and the cataloguing of their components. The ‘cradle to gate’ embodied energy (EE) and ‘embodied carbon’ (EC) were then calculated, based on two open access databases: ICE and Ökobaudat. The applicability of these databases was considered, as they do not cover low industrialised bio-based construction materials. For some materials, data are missing; while in others, EE values are overestimated since high energy-intensive manufacturing processes seem to be assumed. In a second phase, the uses and production process of some non-conventional materials was investigated, evidencing their variability. Building technologies that are not just aimed at low operational energy but at a more holistic understanding of low environmental impact represent a paradigm shift in ‘sustainable’ construction prac-tices. Despite ongoing actions and policies, as long as these materials and techniques are not suitably represented in reliable and accessible databases, it will be difficult to make such a shift happen. Manufacturers and contractors who produce and use such materials would benefit from the availability of easily applicable, scientific data demonstrating environmental advantages offered by non-conventional materials

The Apps as tools for learning to read and write. A Review

Reading is still an open issue for the Italian educational system (and not only for the Italian one). The reasons are concerning both its learning processes and the educational emergency phenomenon of non-readers. The increasing diffusion of ICT is acting as an engine to face this issue both in school and in other educational agencies. In fact, ICT are activating evidence-based procedures and strategies which are effective and easy to be used. In particular, the recent development of mobile has opened the way for using Application (App) for teaching, with awesome results. In the present paper, the authors propose a literature review that aims to highlight two important aspects. Firstly, the clarification of the problem and secondly, the individuation of the most advantageous Apps in order to promote the literacy even from an inclusive perspective. Le App come strumenti per l’apprendimento della letto-scrittura. Una rassegnaQuella della lettura continua a essere una questione aperta per il sistema formativo italiano (e non solo), sia per quel che concerne i processi di apprendimento che la sottendono sia per quel che riguarda l’emergenza educativa inerente il fenomeno dei “non lettori”. La crescente diffusione delle TIC sta agendo come propulsore per affrontare a scuola come nelle altre agenzie educative questo problema, attivando procedure e strategie che risultano efficaci (sul piano dell’evidenza scientifica) e di semplice adozione. In modo particolare il recente sviluppo del mobile ha aperto la strada all’utilizzo di Applicazioni (App) nella didattica, con risultati a dir poco sorprendenti. Nel presente contributo gli autori propongono una rassegna della letteratura finalizzata a mettere in evidenza da un lato i termini del problema e dell’altro quali App sono oggi ritenute maggiormente vantaggiose per favorire l’apprendimento della letto-scrittura anche in ottica inclusiva

FEMALE HIP HOP ACTIVIST. AN INTERSECTIONAL CROSSROAD

With the demise of twentieth-century social classes, the intersec-tion of gender, race and class no longer seems to constitute a para-digm, but rather a construct with a variable structure in which, from time to time, one of the three constituent elements emerges as the driving force. This also has repercussions inthe field of art and cul-ture. In the context of Hip Hop, for example, African American female rappers propose a female image in which the vindication of one's blackness is accompanied by an awareness of the fluidity of sexual identity and the need to break certain stereotypes for which political commitment must necessarily coincide with "sobriety" of behavior. Intheir video clips there are frames that recall the Black Panthers or the Black Lives Matter movement, one can fight against racial and class discrimination without renouncing a politics of de-sire, which opens up interesting educational reflections

Intraoperative β-Detecting probe for radio-guided surgery in tumour resection

The development of the β− based radio-guided surgery aims to extend the technique to those tumours where surgery is the only possible treatment and the assessment of the resection would most profit from the low background around the lesion, as for brain tumours. Feasibility studies on meningioma and gliomas already estimated the potentiality of this new treatment. To validate the technique, a prototype of the intraoperative probe detecting β− decays and specific phantoms simulating tumour remnant patterns embedded in healthy tissue have been realized. The response of the probe in this simulated environment is tested with dedicated procedures. This document discusses the innovative aspects of the method, the status of the developed intraoperative β− detecting probe and the results of the preclinical tests

Lenvatinib exhibits antineoplastic activity in anaplastic thyroid cancer in vitro and in vivo

Lenvatinib is an oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of VEGFR1-VEGFR3, FGFR1-FGFR4, PDGFRα, RET and v-kit Hardy-Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KIT) signaling networks involved in tumor angiogenesis. We have evaluated the antitumor activity of lenvatinib in primary anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cells, in the human cell line 8305C (undifferentiated thyroid cancer) and in an ATC-cell line (AF). The AF cell line was obtained from the primary ATC cultures and was the one that grew over 50 passages. The effect of lenvatinib (1 and 100 nM; and 1, 10, 25 and 50 μM) was investigated in primary ATC, 8305C and AF cells as well as in AF cells in CD nu/nu mice. Lenvatinib significantly reduced ATC cell proliferation (P<0.01, ANOVA) and increased the percentage of apoptotic ATC cells (P<0.001, ANOVA). Furthermore, lenvatinib inhibited migration (P<0.01) and invasion (P<0.001) in ATC. In addition, lenvatinib inhibited EGFR, AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and downregulated cyclin D1 in the ATC cells. Lenvatinib also significantly inhibited 8305C and AF cell proliferation, increasing apoptosis. AF cells were subcutaneously injected into CD nu/nu mice and tumor masses were observed 20 days later. Tumor growth was significantly inhibited by lenvatinib (25 mg/kg/day), as well as the expression of VEGF-A and microvessel density in the AF tumor tissues. In conclusion, the antitumor and antiangiogenic activities of lenvatinib may be promising for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer, and may consist a basis for future clinical therapeutic applications

Vandetanib has antineoplastic activity in anaplastic thyroid cancer, in vitro and in vivo

The antitumor activity of vandetanib [a multiple signal transduction inhibitor including the RET tyrosine kinase, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor (VEGFR), ERK and with antiangiogenic activity], in primary anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cells, in the human cell line 8305C [undifferentiated thyroid cancer (TC)] and in an ATC-cell line (AF), was investigated in the present study. Vandetanib (1 and 100 nM; 1, 10, 25 and 50 μM) was tested by WST-1, apoptosis, migration and invasion assays: in primary ATC cells, in the 8305C continuous cell line, and in AF cells; and in 8305C cells in CD nu/nu mice. Vandetanib significantly reduced ATC cell proliferation (P<0.01, ANOVA), induced apoptosis dose-dependently (P<0.001, ANOVA), and inhibited migration (P<0.01) and invasion (P<0.001). Furthermore, vandetanib inhibited EGFR, AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and downregulated cyclin D1 in ATC cells. In 8305C and AF cells, vandetanib significantly inhibited the proliferation, inducing also apoptosis. 8305C cells were injected subcutaneously in CD nu/nu mice and tumor masses became detectable after 30 days. Vandetanib (25 mg/kg/day) significantly inhibited tumor growth and VEGF-A expression and microvessel density in 8305C tumor tissues. In conclusion, the antitumor and antiangiogenic activity of vandetanib is very auspicious in ATC, opening the way to a future clinical evaluation