Reviewing the Role of Key Performance Indicators in Architectural and Urban Design Practices

Energy use and relative CO2 emissions drive climate change that affects both the environment and human health. Extreme events caused by climate change, such as heat waves, flooding, and droughts are increasingly frequent and dangerous and the quality of life in cities is progressively decreasing. The building sector is among the most energy intensive sectors and mitigation and adaptation strategies are needed to reduce the emissions and impacts of climate change. This article presents a literature review created using the SCOPUS database on 515 articles setup to investigate the role of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in architectural and urban design processes and to understand how KPIs can be used to improve sustainability in the design of buildings and cities. Findings from the literature review highlights the potentiality of KPIs as a tool for managing complexity and for measure performances starting from the early design stages up to the lifetime of buildings and, in general, design. In parallel, the analysis of results showed that KPIs are commonly used to evaluate performance at a very different scale, but the building scale is the most considered. The use of KPIs in architecture, focusing on sustainability, should be implemented more in the future to allow for a better control of architectural performances

Reactivation of fetal hemoglobin in thalassemia and sickle cell disease

Considerable attention has been recently devoted to mechanisms involved in the perinatal hemoglobin switch, as it was long ago established that the survival of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production in significant amount can reduce the severity of the clinical course in severe disorders like β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD). For instance, when β-thalassemia is associated with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) the disease takes a mild course, labeled as thalassemia intermedia. The same clinical amelioration occurs for the association between HPFH and SCD. As for the mechanism of this effect, some information has been obtained from the study of natural mutations at the human β-globin locus in patients with increased HbF, like the Corfu thalassemia mutations. Important evidence came from the discovery that drugs capable of improving the clinical picture of SCD, like decitabine ad hydroxycarbamide, are acting through the reactivation, to some extent, of HbF synthesis. The study of the mechanism of action of these compounds was followed by the identification of some genetic determinants, which promote this event. In particular, among a few genetic factors involved in this process, the most relevant appears the BCL11A gene, which is now credited to be able to silence γ-globin genes in the perinatal period by interaction with several erythroid-specific transcription factors and is actually considered as a barrier to HbF reactivation by known HbF inducing agents. Epigenetics is also a player in the process, mainly through DNA demethylation. This is certified by the recent demonstration that hypomethylating agents such as 5-azacytidine and decitabine, the first compounds used for HbF induction by pharmacology, act as irreversible inhibitors of demethyltransferase enzymes. Great interest has also been raised by the finding that several micro-RNAs, which act as negative regulators of gene expression, have been implicated in the progression of globin gene expression and, particularly, in the reactivation of γ-globin gene expression associated with increased HbF synthesis. Probably, this reactivation is achieved by post-transcriptional inhibition of BCL11A expression. Finally, attention is presently focused on a recently discovered BCL11A enhancer, essential for erythroid expression of BCL11A, which might become a therapeutic target for genome engineering in the β-hemoglobinopathies as its disruption affects only the erythropoietic lineage, without hurting other cell or tissue compartments

Genetic diversity of Arcobacter isolated from bivalves of Adriatic and their interactions with Mytilus galloprovincialis hemocytes

The human food-borne pathogens Arcobacter butzleri and A. cryaerophilus have been frequently isolated from the intestinal tracts and fecal samples of different farm animals and, after excretion, these microorganisms can contaminate the environment, including the aquatic one. In this regard, A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus have been detected in seawater and bivalves of coastal areas which are affected by fecal contamination. The capability of bivalve hemocytes to interact with bacteria has been proposed as the main factor inversely conditioning their persistence in the bivalve. In this study, 12 strains of Arcobacter spp. were isolated between January and May 2013 from bivalves of Central Adriatic Sea of Italy in order to examine their genetic diversity as well as in vitro interactions with bivalve components of the immune response, such as hemocytes. Of these, seven isolates were A. butzleri and five A. cryaerophilus, and were genetically different. All strains showed ability to induce spreading and respiratory burst of Mytilus galloprovincialis hemocytes. Overall, our data demonstrate the high genetic diversity of these microorganisms circulating in the marine study area. Moreover, the Arcobacter–bivalve interaction suggests that they do not have a potential to persist in the tissues of M. galloprovincialis

Film deposition, X-ray diffraction and optical absorption of novel (R-NH3)2ZnCl4 hybrid perovskites

Organic-inorganic (CnH2n+1NH3)2MX4 hybrid perovskites (where M is a divalent metal and X a halide) are presently attracting much attention, due to their unique electronic properties and excellent film processability [1]. These self-assembling structures contain 2D semiconductor layers ((MX6)=) alternately stacked with organic ammonium layers. Excitons resulting from the low dimensionality of the semiconductor sheets have binding energy of several tenths eV, and are expected to have interesting potentialities for optoelectronic and electronic applications [2]. In this communication we report on the preparation and the basic X-ray and optical characterization of the novel (CnH2n+1NH3)2ZnCl4 (1<n<6) compounds, deposited as thin films by spin-coating alcoholic solutions of stoichiometric precursors on glass and quartz substrates. X-ray diffraction data prove that the as-prepared films are single phase, well crystallized and with a dominant in-plane grain orientation. The distance between the inorganic sheets, as measured through the "d" parameters, linearly increases with the amine chain length ("n" value) (Fig.1a), thus suggesting that the organic chains are ordered perpendicularly to the film surface. The diffraction pattern refinement is presently in progress, in order to assign the appropriate space group and to determine the in-plane lattice parameters. Room temperature optical absorption spectra exhibit a maximum at about 240 nm, which is almost independent on "n" (Fig.1b). Such finding is consistent with the results we obtained in the homologous series of Cu-based hybrids [3] and suggests that also in the Zn-compounds the optical absorption phenomena are related to the inorganic cluster of the structure. References. [1] D.B.Mitzi, K.Chondroudis, C.R. Kagan, IBM J.Res.Dev. 45, 29-45, 2001; [2] M.Era, S.Morimoto, T.Tsutsui, S.Saito, Appl.Phys.Lett 65, 676-678, 1994; [3] F.Chiarella, A.Zappettini, T.Besagni, F.Licci, A.Cassinese, M.Barra, R.Vaglio, C.Aruta, Cryst.Res.Technol. 40, 1028-1032, 2005

Role of mechanical stretching in the modulation of myocytes phenotype: implications for tissue engineering

The phenotype of myocytes is regulated by various stimuli, including mechanical environment (Davis-Dusembery et al., 2011; Lu et al., 2011). Several studies examined the role of mechanical strain on myogenesis in skeletal muscle cells, but the mechanisms that dictate the effects of cyclic strain on myocytes phenotype are still not understood (Simmons et al., 2004). Cellular responses to mechanical stress depend on to the substrate deformation, frequency and duration of the applied mechanical stress (Kook et al., 2008). Physiologic mechanical stimuli may affect the properties of the tissues, leading also to the development of several pathologies. In this work, we studied the effects of different cyclic strains on C2C12 myoblasts phenotype. Cellular mechanisms involved in the mechanical stress-mediated modulation of myogenesis or osteogenesis were considered. In particular, low (2%) and high (15%) substrate deformations were applied and cell proliferation and differentiation markers (Myf5, Myogenin, Osteopontine, ALP) were observed by RT-PCR and western blot analyses. Results showed that cell phenotype switches from myogenic to osteogenic, depending on the dynamic conditions applied. In particular, the myogenic differentiation was inhibited through the down-regulation of muscle specific markers, and the up-regulation of the osteogenetic phenotype markers

Urban regeneration. Benefits of nature-based solutions

Today’s urban environment features several critical issues related to what in Italy is called ‘cementification’: among the main ones, the phenomenon of heat islands, the cause of several problems related to citizens’ health, especially for the weaker population groups such as children and elderly people. This paper presents the results of a research focused on identifying a combination of nature-based solutions, offering good benefits both from the point of view of improving microclimate comfort and from the point of view of psychological comfort for the people who will use the regenerated areas

Influence of Ambient Humidityon The Conductivity of CH3NH3SnCl3 Hybrid Films

Organic-inorganic (CnH2n+1NH3)2MX4 hybrid perovskites (M=divalent metal, X=halide) are attracting much attention, due to their unique electronic properties and excellent film processability [1]. The Sn based CH3NH3MX3 compounds are a subclass of that hybrid family, with cubic structure, where the organic component is included in the extended three-dimensional inorganic cage. Studies concerning the structural properties of these compounds [2] prove that methylammonium ions are orientationally disordered due to their polar character. On cooling the disorder is removed through one or more phase transitions, that usually determine large conductivity variations. However, the chemical instability is a major problem for accurate transport measurements on Sn hybrids. Furthermore, most of reported conductivity results refer to iodine-based hybrids, that are conductive, while Br- and Cl- compounds are semiconducting or insulating. In this communication we study the influence of ambient humidity on the electrical properties of thermally ablated CH3NH3SnCl3 films. In particular we show that conductivity increases by more than four orders of magnitude when relative humidity increases from 0 to 80%. Measurements performed in sequence give reproducible results, thus indicating that conductivity increase does not originate from irreversible reactions between hybrid and water vapour. We investigate the mechanisms responsible for the conductivity increase by studying the DC and AC characteristics of two contact planar devices as a function of the relative humidity. The results of impedance spectroscopy measurements are interpreted by suitable equivalent circuits that allow us to study the dipendence of the different circuit components on relative humidity. On this base we discuss the device characteristics and suggest novel insights into humidity sensing properties of CH3NH3SnCl3 films