The impact of COVID-19 on Piedmont Circular Economy policy roadmap

The outbreak of COVID-19 in the Italian and international scenario has produced diversified responses to an unknown and unexpected event, rooted in the governance characteristics of each Country. Governments need to overcome established legislative practices and procedures, proposing new legislative and financial frameworks to address endemic or unexpected crises while pursuing sustainable development goals (Capano, 2020). The following contribution explores the emerging results from the new activities implemented by the RETRACE project to investigate how the pandemic has influenced the processes of Circular Economy (CE) that it had stimulated in four different regions considered: Piedmont (Italy), New Aquitaine (France), Biscay (Spain), North-East (Romania). Therefore, this paper delves into the situation in the Piedmont Region

Speculative Fabulation to Reclaim the Verbal Dimension of Co-design

Man has always been a narrating animal. In 2009, the literary critic Brian Boyd offered the first comprehensive account of the evolutionary origins of storytelling. According to his theoretical framework, humans respond to the selective pressures of their environment by expanding their repertoire of social behavioral responses through storytelling. This article, as part of an ongoing doctoral research, advocates speculative fabulation as an understudied explorative approach to co-design accessing stakeholders experience, enabling feedback loops, subsequently facilitates a “worlding” activity toward societal cultural transitions. The aim of this study is to investigate and conceptualize speculative fabulation, within the co-design process, as an analysis (i.e., problematizing) method to societal transitions. The qualitative research builds on (i) the work of philosophers Donna Haraway, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari on speculative fabulation, (ii) Elizabeth Sanders on generative research, (iii) Mitrovic and Šuran, Dunne and Raby on speculative design, (iv) Göbel's work on systems model to story analysis and (v) Greimas semiotics. Bridging these bodies of literature is novel and allowed us to envision implications for further strands of design research. The suggested framework contributes to conceptualizing speculative co-fabulation within systemic design and may be useful for future implementations in academia and practice toward societal transitions

Gigamaps as enabling tools for envisioning futures

Entrepreneurial ecosystems have gained attention for fostering innovation and sustainable transition. However, their complexity poses challenges, especially when different companies co-design for future making toward sustainable transition strategies implementation. Systemic Design (SD) offers potential solutions, employing system mapping tools like Gigamaps, that use visual synthesis to support effectively the participatory processes. This article aims to present a formalized protocol for the use of Gigamaps as a co-design tool to trigger dialogues among industrial stakeholders, facilitating entrepreneurial ecosystem transition. Through a case study from the master’s degree SD course at Politecnico di Torino, the article will present a Gigamaps-driven co-design experience in an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Finally, the study limitation and the need for systems-thinking and complex science-based methods to support the implementation of those envisioned scenarios are stated

Rilievo Olistico: dialogo tra il territorio e il Distretto UNESCO

Il capitolo presenta i risultati del Rilievo Olistico condotto sul Distretto UNESCO della regione Piemonte. Tale metodologia consente di raggiungere una piena conoscenza dello stato dell'arte del territorio, unendo dati quantitativi e qualitativi ad una fase di osservazione e raccolta dati in campo. La lettura dello stato dell’arte attraverso l’uso dello strumento del rilievo olistico va a considerare lo scenario nella sua interezza analizzando i dati raccolti secondo diversi aspetti socio-economici e geografici. Questi sono indispensabili per comprendere come e dove un determinato intervento può andare a inserirsi per realizzare un progetto che, prima di ogni altra cosa, è in grado di generare valore in questo panorama, basandosi e dando rilievo alle relazioni esistenti per poi innescare nuove relazioni

Co-design per il coinvolgimento degli stakeholder del territorio

ll co-design è un approccio alla progettazione che pone al centro del processo i soggetti che nutrono un particolare interesse nei confronti del progetto che si deve sviluppare. Attuare un processo di co-progettazione significa, dunque, tenere in considerazione diversi punti chiave che si articolano intorno all’importanza di costruire dei processi di progettazione definibili come human/humanity centered designed. Nella visione sistemica il coinvolgimento di tutti gli attori interessati è estremamente importante. Dunque, dopo un’approfondita analisi di dati e documenti si è potuto avanzare un ulteriore approfondimento: avviare un contatto diretto con i rappresentanti dei riconoscimenti che fanno farete del Distretto UNESCO piemontese. Il capitolo presenta il lavoro di co-progettazione svolto con i riconoscimento UNESCO piemontese, illustrando metodologie utilizzate e risultati ottenuti

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Loaded with Dexamethasone Prevent Inflammatory Responses in Primary Non-Parenchymal Liver Cells

Liver inflammation represents a major clinical problem in a wide range of pathologies. Among the strategies to prevent liver failure, dexamethasone (DXM) has been widely used to suppress inflammatory responses. The use of nanocarriers for encapsulation and sustained release of glucocorticoids to liver cells could provide a solution to prevent severe side effects associated with systemic delivery as the conventional treatment regime. Here we describe a nanostructured lipid carrier developed to efficiently encapsulate and release DXM. This nano-formulation proved to be stable over time, did not interact in vitro with plasma opsonins, and was well tolerated by primary non-parenchymal liver cells (NPCs). Released DXM preserved its pharmacological activity, as evidenced by inducing robust anti-inflammatory responses in NPCs. Taken together, nanostructured lipid carriers may constitute a reliable platform for the delivery of DXM to treat pathologies associated with chronic liver inflammation.Fil: Medina Montano, Carolina. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Rivero Berti, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales; ArgentinaFil: Gambaro, Rocío Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Limeres, María José. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Svensson, Malin. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Padula, Gisel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Chain, Cecilia Yamil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Cisneros, José Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Guillermo Raul. Laboratorio Max Planck de Biologia Estructural, Quimica y Biofisica Molecular de Rosario ; Centro de Estudios Interdisciplinarios ; Universidad Nacional de Rosario; . Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Grabbe, Stephan. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Bros, Matthias. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Gehring, Stephan. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; AlemaniaFil: Islan, German Abel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales; ArgentinaFil: Cacicedo, Maximiliano Luis. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz; Alemania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales; Argentin

Nanostructured lipid carriers containing benznidazole: physicochemical, biopharmaceutical and cellular in vitro studies

Chagas disease is a neglected endemic disease prevalent in Latin American countries, affecting around 8 million people. The firstline treatment, benznidazole (BNZ), is effective in the acute stage of the disease but has limited efficacy in the chronic stage, possibly because current treatment regimens do not eradicate transiently dormant Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) appear to be a promising approach for delivering pharmaceutical active ingredients as they can have a positive impact on bioavailability by modifying the absorption, distribution, and elimination of the drug. In this study, BNZ was successfully loaded into nanocarriers composed of myristyl myristate/Crodamol oil/poloxamer 188 prepared by ultrasonication. A stable NLC formulation was obtained, with ≈80% encapsulation efficiency (%EE) and a biphasic drug release profile with an initial burst release followed by a prolonged phase. The hydrodynamic average diameter and zeta potential of NLC obtained by dynamic light scattering were approximately 150 nm and −13 mV, respectively, while spherical and well-distributed nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses of the nanoparticles indicated that BNZ might be dispersed in the nanoparticle matrix in an amorphous state. The mean size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, and %EE of the formulation remained stable for at least six months. The hemolytic effect of the nanoparticles was insignificant compared to that of the positive lysis control. The nanoparticle formulation exhibited similar performance in vitro against T. cruzi compared to free BNZ. No formulation-related cytotoxic effects were observed on either Vero or CHO cells. Moreover, BNZ showed a 50% reduction in CHO cell viability at 125 μg/mL, whereas NLC-BNZ and non-loaded NLC did not exert a significant effect on cell viability at the same concentration. These results show potential for the development of new nanomedicines against T. cruzi.Fil: Muraca, Giuliana Sabrina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencas Exactas. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Bioactivos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, María Esperanza. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencas Exactas. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Bioactivos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Gambaro, Rocío Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Scioli Montoto, Sebastián. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencas Exactas. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Bioactivos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Sbaraglini, Maria Laura. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencas Exactas. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Bioactivos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Padula, Gisel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Cisneros, José Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Chain, Cecilia Yamil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Vera Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Huck Iriart, Cristián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Guillermo Raul. Universidad Federal Do Abc; Brasil. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales; ArgentinaFil: Piñero, María Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Marchetto, Matias Ildebrando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Alba Soto, Catalina Dirney. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; ArgentinaFil: Islan, German Abel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales; ArgentinaFil: Talevi, Alan. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencas Exactas. Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Bioactivos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

De la quinta a la mesa: experiencias en escuelas primarias de La Plata

Este trabajo recoge la experiencia de un proyecto de extensión de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) que comenzó en el año 2012. Sus integrantes son profesionales y estudiantes de distintas carreras de grado y unidades académicas. La propuesta constituye una iniciativa para el abordaje interdisciplinario del consumo responsable de frutas y hortalizas en niños de nivel primario.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

MedZEB: a new holistic approach for the deep energy retrofitting of residential buildings

The MedZEB (Mediterranean Zero Energy Building) approach aims at stimulating the market uptake of energy deep and beyond retrofitting of existing buildings of the Mediterranean. Its holistic nature implies the evaluation and integration of a range of relevant factors and the effective support to the retrofitting supply chain, also with the help of an ICT platform. Main concern of the approach are residential buildings within a framework dealing with High TRL levels and with already on the market technologies to be combined to create Med-specific cost-optimal Packages of technical Solutions, linked to a Voluntary Certification Scheme. The triggered creation of trust and information exchange will pave the way to new investments and strengthen the Med deep and beyond retrofitting network

Potential for a Circular Autopoietic Economy on Canavese Territory

The aim of this gigamap is to describe and summarize a student work carried out during the semester course Open Systems Design at Politecnico Torino. The map is one of the outputs from an analysis of the Canavese, Piedmont region and subsequently an in-depth study of the relationships and “flows” with certain “currencies” between some selected economic and public actors. Canavese is a historical-geographical area located in the province of Turin, Italy; it’s full of great natural and geological spots, with a strong enogastronomic identity, historical re-enactments, a well-known manufacture sector like the ceramic of Castellamonte, as well as the leading high-tech branch like Arduino. Through the approach deriving from systemic design, it was possible to identify some strategies for the creation of new networks aimed at transforming the economy and production processes from linear to circular approach. Five types of “circular flows” were assessed and “designed into” the current linear system, thus proposing an improved economy based on circularity: flows of matter (energy/CO2, water, materials), economic flows, and social flows. The Gigamap will be presented to stakeholders in a public hearing and supposedly be used to illustrate and incubate a circular economy that is more resilient and more regenerative. Reading the map The reading should start at the top left, where the abstract is located, next, there is an outline that shows the connections between the five topics investigated. Subsequently, there is a timeline with some fundamental events in the history of the Canavese. In the center there is the circularity map with the main cities, focusing on new opportunities of circular flows between the 15 analysed economic actors. At the bottom, some general data and on the right a brief description of the role and territorial qualities of the companies. Lastly, there is a summary of the emerging properties