Housing and the city. A spatial analysis of residential building activity and the socio-demographic background in a Mediterranean City, 1990-2017

Fluctuations in residential building activity are becoming progressively more intense over time and space in advanced economies and especially in Europe, fueling real estate market segmentation and making the performance of the construction industry increasingly unpredictable. If non-linear urbanization paths are the result of economic downturns consolidating progressively more volatile real estate markets, the present study investigates the impact of recent building cycles on long-term urban expansion in a Mediterranean city (Athens, Greece), using multiple clustering techniques run on a large set of building activity and socio-demographic indicators. Changes over time in building activity were evaluated considering 12 spatially-explicit indicators derived from the analysis of building permits released by Greek municipalities between 1990 and 2017. By referring to different analysis' scales (macro-scale: settlements, meso-scale: buildings, micro-scale: dwellings), indicators allow a comprehensive investigation of multiple dimensions and characteristics of construction markets at four-time intervals of 7 years each (1990-1996, 1997-2003, 2004-2010, 2011-2017). Spatio-temporal variability in building activity was further investigated considering 12 contextual indicators assessing the basic socio-demographic attributes of local municipalities. Cluster analysis allows identification of distinctive, local-scale responses of real estate markets to economic cycles (expansion-stagnation-recession) in both short- and long-term horizons and relate them to the dominant socio-demographic context. Density of new buildings, average floors per new building, density of buildings' additions and number of building permits per inhabitant were found to be the most sensitive indicators to economic downturns in the study area. Infrastructure-driven development, as a result of the 2004 Olympic Games, has produced relevant short-term alterations in residential construction markets, complicating urbanization trends at the local scale. Multi-scale indicators from building permit records provide a useful insight in the diachronic mechanisms of urban growth, with implications for regional planning and design of sustainable development practices

Dinamiche finanziarie e monetarie tra centro e periferia nella Repubblica di Venezia

Il contributo descrive i rapporti finanziari intercorsi tra Venezia e Brescia e il suo territorio dopo l'annessione allo stato veneto agli inizi del XV secolo. Riassunte le dinamiche generali della politica veneziana in terraferma, attraverso l'uso di fonti parzialmente edite e della bibliografia attualmente a disposizione vengono analizzate le particolari dinamiche finanziarie e monetarie tra una capitale e una città molto importante del suo stato

I modi della circolazione dei dipinti

E' forse l'osmosi tra l'espansione della domanda interna e quella della domanda estera l'elemento caratterizzante il panorama artistico veneziano del Seicento: se esiste una tipologia cittadina di circolazione per i dipinti in quest'epoca, tutto si modella attorno all'aumento di interesse generale verso i quadri che gonfia domanda e offerta, e dunque permette la specializzazione nei servizi agli acquirenti e ai venditori, evidente a fine Seicento. Il respiro degli artisti veneziani è così reso più vivo dalla pressione proveniente dall'esterno (necessaria ma non sufficiente tuttavia) nei confronti di una delle scuole artistiche più celebrate al mondo, e cresce al procedere del secolo: in una prospettiva di lungo periodo il Seicento finisce dunque per essere il periodo più mobile e vivace

Attorno al mercato, 1700-1815

Il contributo si occupa di descrivere e definire l'ambiente del mercato artistico veneziano nel diciottesimo secolo: la specializzazione ormai definitiva nella vendita (con i pittori "bottegheri") e l'estensione produttiva in quadri seriali di piccolo formato si agganciano ai processi che hanno restituito la città a una destinazione sempre più turistica. Vengono analizzati anche i processi che conducono all'istituzione di un'Accademia, in ritardo rispetto ad altre città italiane

Nanotopography induced contact guidance of the F11 cell line during neuronal differentiation: a neuronal model cell line for tissue scaffold development.

The F11 hybridoma, a dorsal root ganglion-derived cell line, was used to investigate the response of nociceptive sensory neurons to nanotopographical guidance cues. This established this cell line as a model of peripheral sensory neuron growth for tissue scaffold design. Cells were seeded on substrates of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) films imprinted via nanoimprint lithography (NIL) with a grating pattern of nano-scale grooves and ridges. Different ridge widths were employed to alter the focal adhesion formation, thereby changing the cell/substrate interaction. Differentiation was stimulated with forskolin in culture medium consisting of either 1 or 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Per medium condition, similar neurite alignment was achieved over the four day period, with the 1% serum condition exhibiting longer, more aligned neurites. Immunostaining for focal adhesions found the 1% FBS condition to also have fewer, less developed focal adhesions. The robust response of the F11 to guidance cues further builds on the utility of this cell line as a sensory neuron model, representing a useful tool to explore the design of regenerative guidance tissue scaffolds

Merchants and institutions in early modern Venice

Il saggio analizza le relazioni tra la struttura istituzionale veneziana e le fasi di ascesa e declino relativo del suo sistema economico. Le istituzioni statali fornirono strumenti efficienti per tutelare i commerci d'oltremare, in un contesto, tuttavia, dominato da logiche di parentele e lignaggi

Blood Clot Formation Does Not Affect Metastasis Formation or Tumor Growth in a Murine Model of Breast Cancer

Cancer is associated with increased fracture risk, due either to metastasis or associated osteoporosis. After a fracture, blood clots form. Because proteins of the coagulation cascade and activated platelets promote cancer development, a fracture in patients with cancer often raises the question whether it is a pathologic fracture or whether the fracture itself might promote the formation of metastatic lesions. We therefore examined whether blood clot formation results in increased metastasis in a murine model of experimental breast cancer metastasis. For this purpose, a clot was surgically induced in the bone marrow of the left tibia of immundeficient mice. Either one minute prior to or five minutes after clot induction, human cancer cells were introduced in the circulation by intracardiac injection. The number of cancer cells that homed to the intervention site was determined by quantitative real-time PCR and flow cytometry. Metastasis formation and longitudinal growth were evaluated by bioluminescence imaging. The number of cancer cells that homed to the intervention site after 24 hours was similar to the number of cells in the opposite tibia that did not undergo clot induction. This effect was confirmed using two more cancer cell lines. Furthermore, no difference in the number of macroscopic lesions or their growth could be detected. In the control group 72% developed a lesion in the left tibia. In the experimental groups with clot formation 79% and 65% developed lesions in the left tibia (p = ns when comparing each experimental group with the controls). Survival was similar too. In summary, the growth factors accumulating in a clot/hematoma are neither enough to promote cancer cell homing nor support growth in an experimental model of breast cancer bone metastasis. This suggests that blood clot formation, as occurs in traumatic fractures, surgical interventions, and bruises, does not increase the risk of metastasis formation

A DECISION SUPPORT TOOL ON DERELICT BUILDINGS FOR URBAN REGENERATION

Abstract. We present a decision suppport tool for the comparison and selection of projects of integrated renovation of derelict buildings and areas for the purpose of urban regeneration. Each project is defined as a subset of derelict properties to renovate together with their respective designated use, and is scored by the decision support tool on two criteria: expected effort and estimated effectiveness in terms of improved urban capabilities in the urban area of interest. The expected effort is estimated as a global transformation cost, factoring in legal and management overhead costs as well as possible economies of scale. The effectiveness in evaluated in terms of extension of urban capabilities centred on walkable distances. We have implemented a bi-objective evolutionary search algorithm to address the computational complexity of the problem of search for efficient (non-dominated) projects over the two criteria. For the purpose of illustration, we present an example case-study application on the historical core of the city of Sassari, Italy.</p

Addressing Peripherality in Italy: A Critical Comparison between Inner Areas and Territorial Capital-Based Evaluations

As highlighted by the UN 2030 Agenda, sustainable development is a complex and multidimensional issue that can be effectively implemented and reached at the local level. This implies the evaluation of differences and disparities between territories in order to define local priorities and support cohesion policy objectives. This need has been addressed by the Italian "National Strategy for Inner Areas", which aims to support the growth of territories with a continuous economic and population decline. However, Inner Areas are identified by a set of indicators related to the low accessibility to Services of General Interest, neglecting other important factors that contribute to this condition. This paper proposes a critical analysis of this measurement and of the related "territorialization" of Inner Areas, by introducing a more comprehensive assessment model based on the concept of Territorial Capital (TC), which highlights a more nuanced understanding of complexities and diversities related to the potential development of a territory. In particular, the proposed model evaluates eight TC dimensions (human, social, cognitive, infrastructural, productive, relational, environmental and settlement capital), which cover a broad spectrum of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to accurately demonstrate the differences between the results of the two evaluation methods, this paper presents the results of a case study application concerning all 377 municipalities, which compose the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy). The findings of this study confirm the potential of an approach based on the Territorial Capital for place-based policymaking. TC, in fact, can become relevant for defining local priorities and supporting complex decisions, allowing governments to better design and tailor interventions for the effective and efficient management of available resources. Furthermore, these results pose new questions for future research developments in the field of sustainable and equitable development