Public space planning in minor historic centres exposed to seismic risk: lessons learnt from the experience in Navelli (AQ)

Risk reduction in minor historic centres exposed to seismic hazards is essential for the protection of life and cultural heritage but also for social and economic development and requires appropriate strategies. The current state of knowledge and technology suggests that intervention on sensitive mitigation of urban systems vulnerability is the most desirable solution to prevent the devastating earthquake’s effects. This requires a careful planning of both built and public spaces. Within this framework, the contribution illustrates an integrated methodology that accompanied the drafting of the Reconstruction plan of Navelli (AQ) and Civitaretenga, drawn up in response to the earthquake that struck the Abruzzo Region in 2009. Although dated, this methodology can be considered a best practice due to the innovative systematic assessment of both built heritage and open space in the two historical centres, supported by an Integrated Information System (IIS). An innovative approach to the assessment of vulnerability and accessibility of public spaces is also introduced. Monitoring the first outcomes of the Plan implementation provides a pretext for a critical reflection, about 10 years later, on the role of post-earthquake planning tools and on the evident relations or gaps between the scientific and technical contribution of the university and ordinary reconstruction processes in minor urban centres, generally prioritising interventions on the built heritage over the public space

Widespread Urban Regeneration of Existing Residential Areas in European Medium-Sized Cities. A Framework to Locate Redevelopment Interventions

Within the scientific debate on urban regeneration, this paper intends to question possible planning techniques to address the implementation of widespread regeneration interventions in obsolete residential areas within medium-sized European cities, with particular attention to constructing a cognitive framework to locate redevelopment interventions. The widespread urban regeneration approach has yet to be sufficiently explored in the scientific literature, which focuses much more on replacing large derelict areas, though it seems particularly relevant for research and urban practice. This paper aims to illustrate a methodological framework for defining obsolete and degraded areas (at the block scale) suitable for redevelopment. Various criteria are considered, e.g., land use, buildings’ dating, state of preservation, population density, public spaces, and facility provision, and degree of accessibility. The methodological framework is then tested in the medium-sized Italian city of Parma. Data set parameters and threshold values to quantify the previously introduced criteria and perform GIS-based statistical and spatial analysis. The results show 96 areas potentially in need of regeneration, providing an opportunity to reflect on the criteria of suitability and priority for transformation and the framework of past and future planning scenarios

Exploring the 15-minute neighbourhoods. An evaluation based on the walkability performance to public facilities

Recent trends in urban policies are rediscovering a new focus on different urban life models that exclude the obsolete vehicle model and lead to renewed attention on the proximity dimension and active mobility. This vision takes concrete form in the concept of the 15-minute city model, focused on pedestrian accessibility from one’s home to nearby urban services and spaces. In this perspective, the paper aims at exploring the theme of 15-minute cities through a GIS-based model to evaluate pedestrian accessibility to neighbourhood facilities. The implemented methodology integrates the assessment of walking distances, considering the time factor as crucial, and mapping the resident population. The method is then applied to measure the current performances of an existing neighbourhood in Parma from the 15 minutes city perspective, assessing accessibility based on home-facility travel times and the resident population distribution within reach. A reflection is proposed on what has been learned and on the possible contribution that the method can bring to monitoring the 15-minute city and to urban planning

From urban planning techniques to 15-minute neighbourhoods. A theoretical framework and GIS-based analysis of pedestrian accessibility to public services

The enthusiasm with which several metropolises have promoted and embraced the idea of the '15-minute city' may now provide a useful opportunity to reflect once again on the well-known relationship between urban planning and mobility planning. Urban policies and plans are recently rediscovering a new focus on the proximity dimension and active mobility, progressively excluding the obsolete car-centric model. In this perspective, the paper aims at assessing 15-minute neighbourhoods through a GIS-based model to evaluate pedestrian accessibility to urban services and spaces. The implemented methodology integrates the assessment of walking distances and the mapping of the resident population distribution. The method is then applied to measure the current performance of an existing neighbourhood in Parma, assessing accessibility based on home-facility travel times and the resident population within reach. A reflection is proposed on what has been learned and on the possible contribution that the method can bring to urban monitoring and planning

Urban Development and Airports in Northern and Central Italy: Main Trends and a Focus on Parma Giuseppe Verdi Case Study

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STUDIO DEL COMPORTAMENTO DI METALLI REFRATTARI AD ELEVATI STRAIN-RATE E TEMPERATURE

L’introduzione di acceleratori di particelle ad elevata energia, come il Large Hardon Collider (LHC) realizzato al CERN, ha richiesto lo sviluppo di metodi avanzati per predire il comportamento di particolari dispositivi che possono essere soggetti all’impatto con il fascio di particelle, e che, quindi, sono progettati per operare in un ambiente estremamente radioattivo e fortemente sollecitato da un punto di vista termo-strutturale. I materiali coinvolti devono soddisfare una serie di requisiti, quali: elevata resistenza, buona duttilità alle alte velocità di deformazione ed elevata stabilità alle alte temperature, oltre ad una buona resistenza alla corrosione e agli ambienti radioattivi. Ne deriva che i metalli refrattari e le loro leghe risultano essere degli ottimi canditati e lo studio del loro comportamento meccanico deve essere effettuato in un ampio intervallo di velocità di deformazione e di temperature

behaviour of advanced materials impacted by high energy particle beams

Beam Intercepting Devices (BID) are designed to operate in a harsh radioactive environment and are highly loaded from a thermo-structural point of view. Moreover, modern particle accelerators, storing unprecedented energy, may be exposed to severe accidental events triggered by direct beam impacts. In this context, impulse has been given to the development of novel materials for advanced thermal management with high thermal shock resistance like metal-diamond and metal-graphite composites on top of refractory metals such as molybdenum, tungsten and copper alloys. This paper presents the results of a first-of-its-kind experiment which exploited 440 GeV proton beams at different intensities to impact samples of the aforementioned materials. Effects of thermally induced shockwaves were acquired via high speed acquisition system including strain gauges, laser Doppler vibrometer and high speed camera. Preliminary information of beam induced damages on materials were also collected. State-of-the-art hydrodynamic codes (like Autodyn®), relying on complex material models including equation of state (EOS), strength and failure models, have been used for the simulation of the experiment. Preliminary results confirm the effectiveness and reliability of these numerical methods when material constitutive models are completely available (W and Cu alloys). For novel composite materials a reverse engineering approach will be used to build appropriate constitutive models, thus allowing a realistic representation of these complex phenomena. These results are of paramount importance for understanding and predicting the response of novel advanced composites to beam impacts in modern particle accelerators

In-vivo range verification analysis with in-beam PET data for patients treated with proton therapy at CNAO

Morphological changes that may arise through a treatment course are probably one of the most significant sources of range uncertainty in proton therapy. Non-invasive in-vivo treatment monitoring is useful to increase treatment quality. The INSIDE in-beam Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner performs in-vivo range monitoring in proton and carbon therapy treatments at the National Center of Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO). It is currently in a clinical trial (ID: NCT03662373) and has acquired in-beam PET data during the treatment of various patients. In this work we analyze the in-beam PET (IB-PET) data of eight patients treated with proton therapy at CNAO. The goal of the analysis is twofold. First, we assess the level of experimental fluctuations in inter-fractional range differences (sensitivity) of the INSIDE PET system by studying patients without morphological changes. Second, we use the obtained results to see whether we can observe anomalously large range variations in patients where morphological changes have occurred. The sensitivity of the INSIDE IB-PET scanner was quantified as the standard deviation of the range difference distributions observed for six patients that did not show morphological changes. Inter-fractional range variations with respect to a reference distribution were estimated using the Most-Likely-Shift (MLS) method. To establish the efficacy of this method, we made a comparison with the Beam's Eye View (BEV) method. For patients showing no morphological changes in the control CT the average range variation standard deviation was found to be 2.5 mm with the MLS method and 2.3 mm with the BEV method. On the other hand, for patients where some small anatomical changes occurred, we found larger standard deviation values. In these patients we evaluated where anomalous range differences were found and compared them with the CT. We found that the identified regions were mostly in agreement with the morphological changes seen in the CT scan

Off-label long acting injectable antipsychotics in real-world clinical practice: a cross-sectional analysis of prescriptive patterns from the STAR Network DEPOT study

Introduction Information on the off-label use of Long-Acting Injectable (LAI) antipsychotics in the real world is lacking. In this study, we aimed to identify the sociodemographic and clinical features of patients treated with on- vs off-label LAIs and predictors of off-label First- or Second-Generation Antipsychotic (FGA vs. SGA) LAI choice in everyday clinical practice. Method In a naturalistic national cohort of 449 patients who initiated LAI treatment in the STAR Network Depot Study, two groups were identified based on off- or on-label prescriptions. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to test several clinically relevant variables and identify those associated with the choice of FGA vs SGA prescription in the off-label group. Results SGA LAIs were more commonly prescribed in everyday practice, without significant differences in their on- and off-label use. Approximately 1 in 4 patients received an off-label prescription. In the off-label group, the most frequent diagnoses were bipolar disorder (67.5%) or any personality disorder (23.7%). FGA vs SGA LAI choice was significantly associated with BPRS thought disorder (OR = 1.22, CI95% 1.04 to 1.43, p = 0.015) and hostility/suspiciousness (OR = 0.83, CI95% 0.71 to 0.97, p = 0.017) dimensions. The likelihood of receiving an SGA LAI grew steadily with the increase of the BPRS thought disturbance score. Conversely, a preference towards prescribing an FGA was observed with higher scores at the BPRS hostility/suspiciousness subscale. Conclusion Our study is the first to identify predictors of FGA vs SGA choice in patients treated with off-label LAI antipsychotics. Demographic characteristics, i.e. age, sex, and substance/alcohol use co-morbidities did not appear to influence the choice towards FGAs or SGAs. Despite a lack of evidence, clinicians tend to favour FGA over SGA LAIs in bipolar or personality disorder patients with relevant hostility. Further research is needed to evaluate treatment adherence and clinical effectiveness of these prescriptive patterns

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field