Vulnerability assessment of the karst aquifer feeding the Pertuso Spring (Central Italy): comparison between different applications of COP method

Karst aquifers vulnerability assessment and mapping are important tools for improved sustainable management and protection of karst groundwater resources. In this paper, in order to estimate the vulnerability degree of the karst aquifer feeding the Pertuso Spring in Central Italy, COP method has been applied starting from two different discretization approaches: using a polygonal layer and the Finite Square Elements (FSE). Therefore, the hydrogeological catchment basin has been divided into 72 polygons, related to the outcropping lithology and the karst features. COP method has been applied to a single layer composed by all these polygons. The results of this study highlight vulnerability degrees ranging from low to very high. The maximum vulnerability degree is due to karst features responsible of high recharge and high hydraulic conductivity. Comparing the vulnerability maps obtained by both methodologies it is possible to say that the traditional discretization approach seems to overestimate the vulnerability of the karst aquifer feeding the Pertuso Spring. Between the two different approaches of COP method, the proposed polygonal discretization of the hydrogeological basin seems to be more suitable to small areas, such as the Pertuso Spring hydrogeological basin, than the traditional grid mapping

The Crowdmapping Mirafiori Sud experience (Torino, Italy): an educational methodology through a collaborative and inclusive process

The CrowdMapping Mirafiori Sud (CMMS) pilot project, carried out by the Polytechnic of Turin (Italy), involved the academic world (students and professors), the Mirafiori Onlus Foundation, the local administration and the community in a participatory and inclusive process. The district is a large area of Turin characterized by a high average age of its inhabitants and a high percentage of foreigners. The aim of the project is to identify and report, through the use of ICT, the obstacles that prevent residents - the most vulnerable categories - from using public space. In the start-up phase, it was not born as a PBL approach, but during the application the PBL was considered a development perspective in the educational experience starting from the students' proposals and the exchange of their skills, in the specific declination of the PBL approach known as community engaged learning. For students, this version of PBL has proven to be strategic in the implementation phases of the project, in particular in the mapping of interested parties and the data set and connections between networks of actors

Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in a Patient Affected by Systemic Sclerosis

The currently recommended treatment for patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is pegilated interferon α (IFN α) plus ribavirin. Despite the numerous benefits of this therapy, there is an increasing concern regarding his tolerance. Among the most common side effects, interferon may trigger the onset or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases. When chronic hepatitis C coexists with an autoimmune disorder, it is not clear whether using interferon is better than avoiding it. We evaluated the disease state of a 55-year old female affected by sistemic sclerosis (SSc), during and after therapy with IFNα pegilated plus ribavirin for chronic HCV infection. We were worried about the potential worsening of the autoimmune disease during the therapy, but we were confident that we would give our patient a short course of peginterferon and ribavirin. A mild, asymptomatic worsening of lung SSc was observed during IFN administration, without life threatening symptoms. After 24 months follow up we observed the maintenance of the virological response and a good control of the rheumatological disease. Thus, in liver disease at high risk of progression and concomitant SSc, the antiviral therapy with IFNα is a feasible approach

Resilience in Action: The Bottom Up! Architecture Festival in Turin

This article describes the practice of co-evolutionary and transformative resilience through a case study conducted in Turin (Italy). According to a broad definition, resilience includes performing actions of urban design and planning, innovating community-based project procedures, and creating positive financial outcomes that are assessable because of the monitoring process of short- and long-term outcomes and impacts. Through the Turin-based case of the Bottom Up! Architecture Festival, this article observes processes in which resilience is in action in metropolitan areas, feeding urban projects and practices of selforganization of the social and financial actors involved. By applying the definition of community projects, the festival manages to take territorial problems and crises (the pandemic, inequality, etc.) and view them as an opportunity to change the system, recommending integrated action on the natural, cultural, financial, and social capital, innovating practices and holding society and institutions more accountable. The transformation of spaces relies on collaborations between social and institutional actors, operating spatially concentrated transformations in the city of Turin, and using flexible governance tools based on co-planning and crowdfunding for project design and financing

Indications and practical approach to non-invasive ventilation in acute heart failure

In acute heart failure (AHF) syndromes significant respiratory failure (RF) is essentially seen in patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary oedema (ACPE) or cardiogenic shock (CS). Non-invasive ventilation (NIV), the application of positive intrathoracic pressure through an interface, has shown to be useful in the treatment of moderate to severe RF in several scenarios. There are two main modalities of NIV: continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and pressure support ventilation (NIPSV) with positive end expiratory pressure. Appropriate equipment and experience is needed for NIPSV, whereas CPAP may be administered without a ventilator, not requiring special training. Both modalities have shown to be effective in ACPE, by a reduction of respiratory distress and the endotracheal intubation rate compared to conventional oxygen therapy, but the impact on mortality is less conclusive. Non-invasive ventilation is also indicated in patients with AHF associated to pulmonary disease and may be considered, after haemodynamic stabilization, in some patients with CS. There are no differences in the outcomes in the studies comparing both techniques, but CPAP is a simpler technique that may be preferred in low-equipped areas like the pre-hospital setting, while NIPSV may be preferable in patients with significant hypercapnia. The new modality 'high-flow nasal cannula' seems promising in cases of AHF with less severe RF. The correct selection of patients and interfaces, early application of the technique, the achievement of a good synchrony between patients and the ventilator avoiding excessive leakage, close monitoring, proactive management, and in some cases mild sedation, may warrant the success of the technique

The Impact of Antiviral Therapy and the Influence of Metabolic Cofactors on the Outcome of Chronic HCV Infection

Natural history of HCV related chronic hepatitis is influenced and modified by many factors: virus features, coinfections and host characteristics. In particular, a peculiar genetic background of the host by conditioning the occurrence of intracellular metabolic derangements (i.e., insulin resistance) might contribute to accelerate the rate of progression to cirrhosis and eventually the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and death. Likely, direct interplays between virus genotype and host genetic background might be hypothesized at this level. Morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis is primarily associated with complications of liver cirrhosis (ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, jaundice, and gastroesophageal bleeding) and HCC occurrence. Therefore the main goal of therapy is to clear viral infection and decrease liver necro-inflammation that directly relates to development of cirrhosis and HCC. Among patients treated with Interferon-based therapy, those with sustained viral response showed a significant reduction of progression to cirrhosis and development of HCC. However, a residual risk of hepatocellular carcinoma still remains indicating the need for careful follow-up using ultrasonography every six months in cirrhotic patients, even in those showing persistently normal ALT and undetectable HCV RNA levels after antiviral therapy

Magnesium as Environmental Tracer for Karst Spring Baseflow/Overflow Assessment—A Case Study of the Pertuso Karst Spring (Latium Region, Italy)

Following a previous research carried out on the same site, this paper presents the update of the Mg2+ based method for the estimation of Pertuso Spring discharge, located in Central Italy. New collected data confirmed the validity of the proposed model and the conservative behaviour of Mg2+ for groundwater related to the Pertuso Spring aquifer. Further analysis allowed to obtain a local linear relationship between magnesium concentration and total spring discharge (including exploitation rate), regardless of the mixing model proposed with the Aniene River. As regards two samples which fall out of the linear relationship and could have been detected as “outliers”, more in-depth data processing and sensitivity analyses revealed that the lowering in magnesium, at equal discharges, is determined by the appearance of the quick-flow component, less mineralized and related to storm events. Results showed that under specific conditions, related to the absence or presence of previous intense rainfall events, Mg2+ could be effectively a useful tracer for separating spring conduit flow (overflow) from diffuse flow (baseflow) within the karst aquif

Mirafiori turns to green

Mirafiori è un quartiere alla periferia sud della città di Torino, simbolo della motown italiana durante il boom economico, poi depotenziato a causa della crisi del mercato del lavoro. Alla fine degli anni ‘90, la città di Torino avvia un lungo processo di riqualificazione di importanti porzioni del territorio, attraverso lo strumento del Piano di recupero urbano di via Artom, con interventi di accompagnamento sociale e di rigenerazione fisica. Aree in condizioni di degrado si sono trasformate in risorse e opportunità a disposizione degli abitanti. Sebbene tali interventi abbiano portato un notevole miglioramento della situazione socio-economica rispetto agli anni ’80 e ‘90, permangono ancora oggi situazioni di criticità prevalentemente dovute ad una tendenza costante al calo e all’invecchiamento della popolazione residente, al tasso di disoccupazione in aumento e superiore alla media cittadina; a livelli di scolarità mediamente bassi, alla distanza dai servizi cittadini e all’isolamento; a problematiche socio-economiche diffuse e alla presenza di numerosi spazi dismessi e abbandonati. Negli ultimi anni, con una spinta decisiva nell’ultimo quinquennio, la vocazione green del quartiere si è sviluppata attraverso la convergenza di numerose progettualità, tanto da costituire un elemento caratterizzante del territorio e un nuovo asse di sviluppo