Life cycle assessment of a floating offshore wind farm in Italy

Mitigation of climate change requires consistent actions toward the reduction of emissions from the energy sector: in the last years, renewable energy technologies, such as wind power, have become a cost-effective option to pursue the transition to low emission systems for power generation. Offshore wind energy can provide access to additional wind resources, also overcoming some issues related to onshore wind deployments such as land-use competition and social acceptability. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology can be used to gain insight into the environmental performances of different technologies, e.g. renewable energy generation technologies, along the lifecycle stages and across a number of impact categories. This paper reports the cradle-to-grave LCA of a floating offshore wind farm, consisting of 190 wind turbines with 14.7 MW rated power, intended to be deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. The employed technology is represented by the IEA 15 MW reference wind turbine supported by the reference semi-submersible platform. The selected functional unit is the delivery of 1 GWh of electricity to the onshore grid and the impact assessment method is the EPD (version 2018), which is usually used for the creation of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and considers 8 impact categories. The results of the analysis show that the supply of raw materials, especially steel, for aerogenerators and floaters is the most significant contributor to the overall potential impacts in all the impact categories, except for abiotic depletion of elements, where power cables are the hotspot. In the perspective of decarbonisation, the estimated carbon intensity is 31 g CO2eq/kWh and so it results competitive with other low emissions electricity generation technologies. To compare the estimated global warming impacts to other studies, some harmonisations efforts on capacity factor and lifetime of turbines are made. Moreover, the wind farm performance has been evaluated in terms of carbon and energy payback time, estimated in 2 and 3 years respectively, showing a substantial benefit when compared to the expected 30-year lifetime. As a conclusion, despite the number of approximations and conservative assumptions, floating offshore wind power, represented by the modelled case study, can be considered a promising technology and has been found to be already competitive with other renewable electricity generation technologies. Future research should address the uncertainty rooted to the data: repeating the analysis relying on the executive project, and therefore on a more detailed modelling, would help to get more accurate results

Alfabetizaciones digitales en la encrucijada

ENTREVISTA A JAVIERA ATENAS

Data feminisms in the labs: gaps and tensions in the Iberoamerican innovation agendas

El artículo recorre dos grandes agendas situadas en Iberoamérica. Una desarrollada desde los laboratorios de innovación pública –espacios de encuentro, experimentación, intercambio y colaboración en el ámbito de las políticas públicas– y la otra desde el feminismo en vinculación con la ciencia de datos. El objetivo es dar cuenta de la necesidad de profundizar la interrelación entre políticas de innovación pública, procesos de ciencia de datos y activismos de datos feministas para disminuir sesgos en los procesos de políticas públicas. Para ello, se analizan los mensajes de Twitter de ocho laboratorios de innovación pública entre diciembre de 2021 y mayo de 2022 y se investigan las agendas de innovación ampliada a partir de los aportes de siete entrevistas en profundidad realizadas a referentes iberoamericanas en laboratorios, ciencia de datos, feminismos y activismos. Este análisis muestra desacoples y desconexiones entre la «agenda de innovación» pública y la «agenda de innovación ampliada». Esta última provista de acciones y miradas del activismo y ciencia de datos feminista. Esa conformación actual de las agendas, permeadas por una coyuntura que fomenta la automatización, inteligencia artificial y uso de técnicas de ciencia de datos, pone de manifiesto la relevancia de ajustes desde el campo de la justicia de datos y los principios feministas. Por último, el artículo propone una hoja de ruta de conversaciones abiertas para potenciar las conexiones y acoples necesarios entre dichas agendas de interés público. Allí las connotaciones tecnológicas y técnicas, pero también territoriales, tienen un rol importante como punto de partida e inflexión para promover procesos de cocreación inclusivos en las agendas de los laboratorios de innovación pública.This article covers two large agendas located in Ibero-America. One developed from the public innovation laboratories – experimentation and collaboration spaces in the field of public policies– and another one, the feminist agenda in connection with data science. The goal is to introduce the need to deepen into the interrelation between public innovation policies, data science processes and feminist data activism to reduce biases and basic inequities in public policy processes. For this purpose, the article analyzes the Twitter messages from the accounts of eight public laboratories between December 2021 and May 2022 and researches the innovation agenda through seven in-depth interviews carried out to relevant Ibero-American experts on innovation labs, data science, feminism, and activism. The analysis shows decoupling and disconnections between the public «innovation agenda» and the «extended innovation agenda». The current conformation of the two agendas is permeated by automation, artificial intelligence, and the use of data science techniques, a situation that reveals the relevance of adjustments from the field of data justice and feminist principles. Finally, the article proposes a roadmap for open conversations to strengthen the connections between these public agendas. Technological and technical connotations, together with territorial ones, play an important role as a starting point as well as a turning point to promote a new landscape of innovation labs.Este artículo ha sido generado como parte del programa de investigación ARES (Análisis de Resistencias Antifeministas), apoyado por la Agencia Estatal de Investigación de España (PID2020-114445RB-I00)

Agendas datificadas: Controvérsias sob as lentes da justiça de dados

Los estudios sobre infraestructuras, plataformas y los distintos fenómenos que atraviesan el campo de la comunicación están siendo interpelados por el proceso de datificación de la sociedad. Ello conlleva un planeamiento de abordaje interdisciplinario, híbrido, de giros metodológicos y prácticas culturales afines. En diálogo con InMediaciones de la Comunicación, Emiliano Treré, investigador colombiano, profesor de la Cardiff University (Gales), co-director del Data Justice Lab y co-fundador de la iniciativa BigDataSur, nos invita a recorrer itinerarios y prácticas bajo el prisma de la justicia de datos

Investigação de polimorfismos de base única relacionados à pigmentação e associação com risco para melanoma em amostra do Rio Grande do Sul

O melanoma é uma doença complexa, associada com diversos fatores de risco genéticos e ambientais. Este o tipo mais agressivo de câncer de pele e origina-se nos melanócitos, as células da pele produtoras de pigmento nos mamíferos. Polimorfismos de base única (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms - SNPs) presentes em genes envolvidos na pigmentação têm sido descritos envolvidos na modulação de risco para o melanoma, porém o conhecimento neste campo ainda é bastante limitado. Neste estudo, foi avaliado o efeito de quatro SNPs em quatro genes de pigmentação: TYR (rs1126809), HERC2 (rs1129038), SLC24A5 (rs1426654) e SLC45A2 (rs16891982) no aumento de risco para melanoma, usando análises de regressão logística multivariada e redução de dimensão multifatorial (MDR), em uma abordagem caso-controle. Em 255 indivíduos (120 pacientes com melanoma e 135 controles sem melanoma) provenientes do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, identificamos associação com o risco para melanoma em três dos quatro SNPs investigados (HERC2 rs1129038, P=0.017; SLC24A5 rs1426654, P<0.001; e SLC45A2 rs16891982, P=0.002). Além disso, a interação entre rs1426654 e rs16891982 (genótipos AA e GG, respectivamente), aumentou significamente o risco para melanoma nas análises de regressão logística multivariada e análises de MDR [OR = 6.936 (CI 95%: 1.607 – 50.294), P= 0.022]. Estes resultados contribuem para o conhecimento atual, indicando que esses SNPs contribuem para o aumento de risco de desenvolvimento de melanoma.The melanoma is a complex disease, associated with several environmental and genetic risk factors. This is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and originates in melanocytes, the pigment producing skin cells in mammals. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pigmentation genes have been describe in melanoma risk modulation but our knowledge in the field is still limited. Here, we assessed the effect of SNPs in four pigmentation genes – TYR (rs1126809), HERC2 (rs1129038), SLC24A5 (rs1426654), and SLC45A2 (rs16891982) on increase of melanoma risk using multivariate logistic regression and a multifactorial dimension reduction (MDR) analysis, in a case-control approach. In 255 individuals (120 melanoma patients and 135 controls free melanoma) from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, we identified an association of melanoma risk with three of the four SNPs studied (HERC2 rs1129038, P=0.017; SLC24A5 rs1426654, P<0.001; and SLC45A2 rs16891982, P=0.002). In addition, the interaction between rs1426654 and rs16891982 (AA and GG genotypes, respectively) significantly increased the risk of melanoma [OR = 6.936 (CI 95%: 1.607 – 50.294), P= 0.022] in both MRD and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Our results contribute to the current knowledge, indicating that SNPs contribute to the increase risk of melanoma

Investigação de grandes rearranjos e mecanismo de doença nas genodermatoses mais comuns: Neurofibromatose tipo 1 e Esclerose tuberosa

Introdução: As doenças monogênicas neurofibromatose tipo 1 (NF1) e esclerose Tuberosa (ET) são consideradas síndromes genéticas raras com malignidade associada. Trata-se das duas genodermatoses mais frequentes, que apresentam como sintomas em comum as lesões cutâneas, ocorrência de tumores no Sistema Nervoso Central, deficiência cognitiva e/ou de desenvolvimento. Com uma gama variada de alterações genéticas envolvidas e sintomas em diferentes graus de comprometimento, caracterizar essas doenças, bem como investigar as alterações genéticas encontradas em subgrupos clínicos é um desafio. Objetivos: O objetivo dos trabalhos reunidos nesta tese foi caracterizar, do ponto de vista evolutivo, clínico e molecular, pacientes com NF1 e ET diagnosticados com rearranjos gênicos, realizar caracterização molecular adicional por análise de transcritos em pacientes com diagnóstico clínico de ET, bem como explorar o mecanismo de autofagia envolvido nesta doença. Resultados: Através de uma abordagem evolutiva foram avaliadas microdeleções encontradas em pacientes com NF1 envolvendo quatorze genes co-deletados. Destes, dez genes mostraram seleção purificadora e quatro genes mostraram seleção positiva, sendo um deles, RNF135, apresentando também seleção positiva de aminoácidos específicos, reforçando sua importância e contribuição para a doença e possível correlação da sua deleção com o fenótipo mais grave desses pacientes. Adicionalmente, foi apresentado relato de caso de um paciente com ET e rearranjo gênico, descrevendo manifestações clínicas não habitualmente relacionadas com a doença e sugerindo, através de revisão de todas as evidências existentes, a inclusão destas manifestações no fenótipo da síndrome. Como resultados preliminares, apresentamos o recrutamento de pacientes com ET e variantes de significado incerto ou ausência de variante patogênica na região codificadora dos genes TSC1 e TSC2, bem como o desenho de primers que serão utilizados para a investigação de exon-skipping no RNA mensageiro desses pacientes. Por fim, uma revisão bibliográfica apresenta o paradoxo da via de autofagia e potenciais estratégias terapêuticas envolvidas com essa via para pacientes acometidos com ET e resultados preliminares apresentam o estabelecimento de fibroblastos de paciente ET com mutação em TSC2 e de fibroblastos de indivíduo sem ET, a fim de realizar avaliação do impacto de moduladores de autofagia no fluxo autofágico e nos mecanismos de mitofagia, apoptose e necrose celular.Introduction: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are the most common genodermatoses. They are monogenic, autosomal dominant disorders associated with skin abnormalities, increased risk for developing certain tumors, mainly of the peripheral and central nervous system, cognitive and/or developmental disabilities and other findings. The disorders are characterized by complete penetrance but variable expressivity and significant molecular heterogeneity, which result in challenges in terms of the clinical and molecular diagnosis of the affected patients. Objectives: The main goal of this thesis was to characterize, from an evolutionary, clinical, and molecular point of view, patients with NF1 and TSC diagnosed with gene rearrangements, perform additional molecular investigations in patients with the clinical diagnosis of ET, as well as exploring the autophagy mechanism involved in this disease. Results: Through an evolutionary approach, microdeletions identified in NF1 patients and involving fourteen co-deleted genes were characterized. Of these, 10 genes showed purifying selection and 4 genes showed positive selection, with one of them, RNF135, also presenting positive selection of specific amino acids. These findings related to RNF135 suggest its importance and contribution to the disease and a possible correlation of its deletion with a more severe phenotype in affected patients. Additionally, a case report of a patient with TSC and a gene rearrangement is presented. It describes clinical manifestations not usually observed in TSC and suggests, through a review of all the existing evidence, the inclusion of these manifestations in the syndrome’s phenotype. In addition, the thesis contains preliminary results of the additional molecular investigation, focused on mRNA/exon skipping analyses, of TSC patients with variants of uncertain significance (VUS) or absence of pathogenic variants in the coding region of the TSC1 or TSC2 genes. Finally, a comprehensive review on the paradox of autophagy in TS and of potential novel therapeutic strategies related to autophagy for TS patients is presented as well as preliminary results on an investigation of autophagy modulators in fibroblast of TSC patients. Discussion and conclusions: NF1 and TSC are well characterized genodermatoses from a 13 clinical and molecular point of view. However, there are still important gaps about these syndromes, such as an incomplete understanding of genotype-phenotype relationships (especially related to gene rearrangements), absence of a specific disease-causing molecular lesion in some patients, and uncertainties related to the exact mechanisms that lead to these disorders and their complications. This thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of some of these aspects, ultimately leading to improved diagnosis and management of patients and their family members, with impacts both on genetic counseling and on development of potential novel therapeutic interventions. Discussão e conclusões: A NF1 e a ET são genodermatoses bem caracterizadas do ponto de vista clínico e molecular. No entanto, ainda existem lacunas importantes acerca destas síndromes, como o entendimento completo de relações genótipo-fenótipo (em especial de rearranjos gênicos), da ausência de identificação da lesão molecular em todos os casos com diagnóstico clínico, e dos mecanismos relacionados à patogênese destas doenças. Essa tese foi desenvolvida para contribuir no entendimento de alguns destes aspectos. Esforços voltados para uma melhor compreensão destas lacunas poderão resultar na inclusão dos achados desta tese no diagnóstico molecular dessas doenças e no aprimoramento do manejo dos pacientes e familiares, com impactos tanto no aconselhamento genético quanto para desenvolvimento de potenciais alternativas terapêuticas

Communicate to collaborate: reframing communication to strengthen parent-practitioner collaborative relationships

Effective communication with the parents of pediatric clients is considered an essential skill and encompasses the verbal exchanging of ideas, listening, and non-verbal communication (Taylor, 2020). Similarly, the therapeutic use of self is integral to the practice of occupational therapy and consists of the conscious enhancement of communication through the use of planned strategies for intentional client-therapist interactions (Taylor, 2020). However, many occupational therapy practitioners report communication challenges, such as parent emotional expressions (Andrews et al., 2013) and discussing parent roles and expectations (Kruijsen-Terpstra et al., 2016 ), and implementing the therapeutic use of self in practice (Bonsaksen et al., 2013). Furthermore, factors such as the limited availability of communication skills training, a limited understanding of how to practice reflection to enhance communication self-awareness (King et al., 2017), and decreased self-efficacy (Coad et al., 2018) hinder the opportunity for practitioners to enhance their communication competencies. The following chapters discuss the evidence base and guiding theories informing the development of the proposed program, Communicate to Collaborate. Communicate to Collaborate is a communication skills training that aims to strengthen pediatric therapy practitioners’ interpersonal communication skills so that how they communicate with families becomes an active, mediating ingredient in their therapy interventions. Through program participation, it is anticipated practitioners will gain greater awareness of both their personal communication approaches and parent’s communication preferences and increased self-efficacy in how to communicate intentionally with parents, thus enhancing their therapeutic use of self in practice and improving the quality of family-centered pediatric therapy services

Rural Year-Round Growing to Ameliorate a Possible Negative Effect from Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggested that, as the world population grows, food and water shortages will become even more serious issues (IPPC\u27s 2014 predictions about the future effects of climate change (CC), Year-round growing (YRG) may provide a way for communities to extend growing seasons, expand local farm systems, and provide food year round. This case study included a detailed analysis of responses from representatives of all sectors of rural Mesa County, Colorado, regarding YRG and a local food and farm plan due to CC. The case was bounded by time (6 months of data collection) which provided an in-depth picture of responses from the community. The theoretical framework for the study was Kingdon\u27s multiple streams theory; a local, conceptual framework was provided by Liu, Lindquist, Vedlitz, and Vincent, who identified the key factors for local agenda-setting, defined in the policy literature as an important step in policymaking. Research questions explored YRG as a way to mitigate CC and as a potential platform to create policy towards a local food and farm plan. Twenty-one citizens from all sectors of a small community in western Colorado were interviewed about their perspectives on CC, YRG, and an agenda for a local food and farm plan (LFFP). Data were coded to identify themes and patterns. Results revealed that most participants were not concerned about CC, although they would like to see YRG and a LFFP thrive as a free market enterprise. Policy makers\u27 support of rural farming through YRG and LFFPs would reduce both the distance food travels and the use of fossil fuels; it would also help create a path to a more sustainable future

The paradox of autophagy in tuberous sclerosis complex

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by germline mutations in TSC1 or TSC2 genes, which leads to the hyperactivation of the mTORC1 pathway, an important negative regulator of autophagy. This leads to the development of hamartomas in multiple organs. The variability in symptoms presents a challenge for the development of completely effective treatments for TSC. One option is the treatment with mTORC1 inhibitors, which are targeted to block cell growth and restore autophagy. However, the therapeutic effect of rapamycin seems to be more efficient in the early stages of hamartoma development, an effect that seems to be associated with the paradoxical role of autophagy in tumor establishment. Under normal conditions, autophagy is directly inhibited by mTORC1. In situations of bioenergetics stress, mTORC1 releases the Ulk1 complex and initiates the autophagy process. In this way, autophagy promotes the survival of established tumors by supplying metabolic precursors during nutrient deprivation; paradoxically, excessive autophagy has been associated with cell death in some situations. In spite of its paradoxical role, autophagy is an alternative therapeutic strategy that could be explored in TSC. This review compiles the findings related to autophagy and the new therapeutic strategies targeting this pathway in TSC