43 research outputs found
Planetary health: an interdisciplinary perspective
This paper addresses the issue of planetary health under a multidisciplinary profile. It starts with defining the scope of planetary health, retracing its most salient historical points. It then reflects on the socio-political changes needed to achieve transformational change in society. The concepts of health literacy and environmental health literacy are explored as a useful means of disseminating and raising awareness about planetary health. Finally, a case study related to heart disease is explored to demonstrate why this approach is more necessary today than ever
Risk mapping for the sustainable protection of cultural heritage in extreme changing environments
Climate change-induced disasters and cultural heritage: Optimizing management strategies in Central Europe
Due to climate change, it is foreseen that the frequency and magnitude of extreme climate events such as heavy precipitation, flooding and drought will increase throughout Europe. In recent times, numerous areas suffered from disasters that produced significant damage to cultural heritage. Although different risk management strategies are currently enforced in Central Europe, there still exist many challenges that undermine their effectiveness. This study reviews the necessary points to be addressed for strengthening existing management strategies within the region and the characteristics of potential resilience building measures. It presents feasible and tailored ICT solutions (e.g. a web GIS platform) and decision support tools (e.g. a manual for cultural heritage resilience and a handbook on transnational rescue procedures) for the protection of cultural heritage against floods, heavy rain and fire. These tools result from the Interreg Central Europe project ProteCHt2save, concentrating on risk assessment and sustainable protection of cultural heritage in changing environments. The proposed measures are tested at pilot sites and successfully integrated in local risk management plans. Future work is also proposed for further implementation of the results
Airborne Pollen, Allergens, and Proteins: A Comparative Study of Three Sampling Methods
Nowadays, there is a wide range of different methods available for the monitoring of pollen and allergens, but their relative efficiency is sometimes unclear, as conventional pollen monitoring does not thoroughly describe pollen allergenicity. This study aims to evaluate airborne pollen, allergen, and protein levels, associating them with meteorological and chemical parameters. The sampling was performed in Bologna (Italy) during the grass flowering period, with three different devices: a Cyclone sampler (CS), a Dicothomous sampler (DS), and a Berner impactor (BI). Total proteins were extracted from aerosol samples, and grass allergens Phl p 1 and Phl p 5 were quantified by ELISA. Airborne Poaceae pollen concentrations were also evaluated, using a Hirst-type trap. Proteins and allergens collected by CS resulted about ten times higher than those collected by the other two instruments, possibly due to their different cut-offs, while DS and BI results appeared consistent only for the total proteins collected in the fine fraction (1.3 vs. 1.6 mu g/m(3)). Airborne proteins correlated neither with Poaceae pollen nor with its aeroallergens, while aeroallergens correlated with pollen only in the coarse particulate, indicating the presence of pollen-independent aeroallergens in the fine particulate, promoted by high wind speed
Risk mapping for the sustainable protection of cultural heritage in extreme changing environments
Cultural heritage is widely recognized to be at risk due to the impact of climate change and associated hazards, such as events of heavy rain, flooding, and drought. User-driven solutions are urgently required for sustainable management and protection of monumental complexes and related collections exposed to changes of extreme climate. With this purpose, maps of risk-prone areas in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin have been produced by an accurate selection and analysis of climate variables (daily minimum and maximum temperature-Tn and Tx, daily cumulated precipitation-RR) and climate-extreme indices (R20mm, R95pTOT, Rx5 day, CCD, Tx90p) defined by Expert Team on Climate Change Detection Indices (ETCCDI). Maps are available to users via an interactive Web GIS (Geographic Information System) tool, which provides evaluations based on historical observations (high-resolution gridded data set of daily climate over Europe-E-OBS, 25 km) and climate projections (regional climate models-RCM, ~12 km) for the near and far future, under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. The tool aims to support public authorities and private organizations in the decision making process to safeguard at-risk cultural heritage. In this paper, maps of risk-prone areas of heavy rain in Central Europe (by using R20mm index) are presented and discussed as example of the outputs achievable by using the Web GIS tool. The results show that major future variations are always foreseen for the 30-year period 2071-2100 under the pessimistic scenario (RCP 8.5). In general, the coastal area of the Adriatic Sea, the Northern Italy, and the Alps are foreseen to experience the highest variations in Central Europe
Contributo al femminile all’educazione tecnica e scientifica per le materie STEM. Fare rete tra scienziate/i, enti, università , associazioni, media e portatori d’interesse
Questo “contributo al femminile” è stato realizzato da un gruppo di perso-
ne che ambisce a contribuire al miglioramento dell’educazione scolastica; è
destinato a donne, uomini, ragazze, ragazzi, bambine e bambini per mettere in
luce potenzialitĂ , diseguaglianze, specificitĂ di vita e professionali e favorire la
paritĂ di genere soprattutto negli ambiti tecnico-scientifici, in particolar modo
nelle discipline STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
Bioaerosol
Cultural heritage constitutive materials can provide excellent substrates for microbial colonisation, highly influenced by thermo-hygrometric parameters. In cultural heritage-related environments, a detrimental microbial load may be present both on artworks surface and in the aerosol. Confined environments (museums, archives, deposits, caves, hypogea) are characterised by peculiarstructures and different thermo-hygrometric conditions, influencing the development of a wide range of microbial species, able to induce artefact biodeterioration and to release biological particles in the aerosol (spores, cellular debrides, toxins, allergens) potentially dangerous for the human health (visitors/users). In order to
identify the real composition of the biological consortia, highlighting also the symbiotic relationships between microorganisms (cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi) and macro-organisms (plants, bryophyte, insects), an interdisciplinary approach is needed.
The results from in vitro culture, microscopy and molecular biology analysis are essential for a complete understanding of both microbial colonisation of the cultural objects and the potential relationship with illness to human. Concerning the bioaerosol, of crucial importance are the time and techniques for sampling
BIOAEROSOL
Cultural heritage constitutive materials can provide excellent substrates for microbial colonisation, highly influenced by thermo-hygrometric parameters. In cultural heritage-related environments, a detrimental microbial load may be present both on manufact surface and in the aerosol. Confined environments (museums, archives, deposits, caves, hypogea) have peculiar structures and dif- ferent thermo-hygrometric parameters, influencing the development of a wide range of microbial species, able to induce artefact biodeterioration and to release biological particles in the aerosol (spores, cellular debrides, toxins, allergens) potentially dangerous for the human health (visitors/users). In order to identify the real composition of the biological consortia, highlighting also the symbiotic relationships between microorganisms (cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi) and mac- roorganisms (plants, bryophyte, insects), an interdisciplinary approach is needed. The results from in vitro culture, microscopy and molecular biology analysis are essential for a complete understanding of both microbial colonisation of the cul- tural objects and the potential relationship with illness to human. Concerning the bioaerosol, of crucial importance are the time and techniques for sampling
Bioarosol
Cultural heritage constitutive materials can provide excellent substrates for
microbial colonisation, highly influenced by thermo-hygrometric parameters. In
cultural heritage-related environments, a detrimental microbial load may be
present both on artworks surface and in the aerosol. Confined environments
(museums, archives, deposits, caves, hypogea) are characterised by peculiar
structures and different thermo-hygrometric conditions, influencing the development
of a wide range of microbial species, able to induce artefact biodeterioration
and to release biological particles in the aerosol (spores, cellular debrides, toxins,
allergens) potentially dangerous for the human health (visitors/users). In order to
identify the real composition of the biological consortia, highlighting also the
symbiotic relationships between microorganisms (cyanobacteria, bacteria, fungi)
and macro-organisms (plants, bryophyte, insects), an interdisciplinary approach
is needed.
The results from in vitro culture, microscopy and molecular biology analysis
are essential for a complete understanding of both microbial colonisation of the
cultural objects and the potential relationship with illness to human. Concerning
the bioaerosol, of crucial importance are the time and techniques for sampling