A Survey on Daylighting Education in Italian Universities : Knowledge of Standards, Metrics and Simulation Tools

Daylighting is a strategic topic to achieve sustainable buildings, so it is more and more imperative that it is implemented in architecture curricula to prepare a new generation of daylighting-oriented practitioners. In this frame, the DAYKE project (Daylight Knowledge in Europe) was set up to explore the level of knowledge about daylighting among European professionals and students. DAYKE-Europe was replicated as DAYKE-Italy to study the knowledge of daylight standards, metrics and software among Italian architecture students, and to compare it to that observed within DAYKE-Europe. A sample of 542 questionnaires were collected in five universities. Primary outcomes were: (i) a general low level of knowledge on daylighting was observed; the most cited metrics were the average daylight factor and the geometrical window-to-floor ratio, while climate-based daylight metrics were rarely mentioned; (ii) master science M.Sc. students reported more knowledge on daylight metrics and regulations than bachelor B.Sc. students, while the implementation of daylight metrics and strategies in projects was mainly deficient among B.Sc. students; (iii) compared to European students (DAYKE-Europe), Italian students showed a higher knowledge of daylight metrics and software (especially as for M.Sc. students), while the opposite was observed for standards, regulations and protocols. Based on the results, a reconsideration of daylight education in architecture curricula is recommended

A survey on daylighting education in italian universities. Knowledge of standards, metrics and simulation tools

Daylighting is a strategic topic to achieve sustainable buildings, so it is more and more imperative that it is implemented in architecture curricula to prepare a new generation of daylighting-oriented practitioners. In this frame, the DAYKE project (Daylight Knowledge in Europe) was set up to explore the level of knowledge about daylighting among European professionals and students. DAYKE-Europe was replicated as DAYKE-Italy to study the knowledge of daylight standards, metrics and software among Italian architecture students, and to compare it to that observed within DAYKE-Europe. A sample of 542 questionnaires were collected in five universities. Primary outcomes were: (i) a general low level of knowledge on daylighting was observed; the most cited metrics were the average daylight factor and the geometrical window-to-floor ratio, while climate-based daylight metrics were rarely mentioned; (ii) master science M.Sc. students reported more knowledge on daylight metrics and regulations than bachelor B.Sc. students, while the implementation of daylight metrics and strategies in projects was mainly deficient among B.Sc. students; (iii) compared to European students (DAYKE-Europe), Italian students showed a higher knowledge of daylight metrics and software (especially as for M.Sc. students), while the opposite was observed for standards, regulations and protocols. Based on the results, a reconsideration of daylight education in architecture curricula is recommended

Ebv-driven lymphoproliferative disorders and lymphomas of the gastrointestinal tract: A spectrum of entities with a common denominator (part 2)

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a common pathogen infecting people primarily early in life. The virus has the ability to persist throughout a person’s life, usually in B lymphocytes. Conditions of immunodeficiency as well as the introduction of immunosuppressive therapies and the advent of transplant technologies has brought immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders into view, which are often driven by EBV. The group of EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders includes different entities, with distinct biological features, ranging from indolent disor-ders, which may even spontaneously regress, to aggressive lymphomas requiring prompt and ade-quate treatment. These disorders are often diagnostically challenging due to their overlapping mor-phology and immunophenotype. Both nodal and extra-nodal sites, including the gastrointestinal tract, may be involved. This review, divided in three parts, summarizes the clinical, pathological, molecular features and treatment strategies of EBV-related lymphoproliferative disorders occurring in the gastrointestinal tract and critically analyzes the major issues in the differential diagnosis. In this part of the review, we discuss plasmablastic lymphoma, extra-cavitary primary effusion lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma

Ebv-driven lymphoproliferative disorders and lymphomas of the gastrointestinal tract: A spectrum of entities with a common denominator (part 3)

EBV is the first known oncogenic virus involved in the development of several tumors. The majority of the global population are infected with the virus early in life and the virus persists throughout life, in a latent stage, and usually within B lymphocytes. Despite the worldwide diffusion of EBV infection, EBV-associated diseases develop in only in a small subset of individuals often when conditions of immunosuppression disrupt the balance between the infection and host immune system. EBV-driven lymphoid proliferations are either of B-cell or T/NK-cell origin, and range from disorders with an indolent behavior to aggressive lymphomas. In this review, which is divided in three parts, we provide an update of EBV-associated lymphoid disorders developing in the gastrointestinal tract, often representing a challenging diagnostic and therapeutic issue. Our aim is to provide a practical diagnostic approach to clinicians and pathologists who face this complex spectrum of disorders in their daily practice. In this part of the review, the chronic active EBV infection of T-cell and NK-cell type, its systemic form; extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders are discussed

The novel lncRNA BlackMamba controls the neoplastic phenotype of ALK- anaplastic large cell lymphoma by regulating the DNA helicase HELLS.

The molecular mechanisms leading to the transformation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase negative (ALK-) anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) have been only in part elucidated. To identify new culprits which promote and drive ALCL, we performed a total transcriptome sequencing and discovered 1208 previously unknown intergenic long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), including 18 lncRNAs preferentially expressed in ALCL. We selected an unknown lncRNA, BlackMamba, with an ALK- ALCL preferential expression, for molecular and functional studies. BlackMamba is a chromatin-associated lncRNA regulated by STAT3 via a canonical transcriptional signaling pathway. Knockdown experiments demonstrated that BlackMamba contributes to the pathogenesis of ALCL regulating cell growth and cell morphology. Mechanistically, BlackMamba interacts with the DNA helicase HELLS controlling its recruitment to the promoter regions of cell-architecture-related genes, fostering their expression. Collectively, these findings provide evidence of a previously unknown tumorigenic role of STAT3 via a lncRNA-DNA helicase axis and reveal an undiscovered role for lncRNA in the maintenance of the neoplastic phenotype of ALK-ALCL

Expression of p89c-Mybex9b, an alternatively spliced form of c-Myb, is required for proliferation and survival of p210BCR/ABL-expressing cells

The c-Myb gene encodes the p75c-Myb isoform and less-abundant proteins generated by alternatively spliced transcripts. Among these, the best known is pc-Mybex9b, which contains 121 additional amino acids between exon 9 and 10, in a domain involved in protein–protein interactions and negative regulation. In hematopoietic cells, expression of pc-Mybex9b accounts for 10–15% of total c-Myb; these levels may be biologically relevant because modest changes in c-Myb expression affects proliferation and survival of leukemic cells and lineage choice and frequency of normal hematopoietic progenitors. In this study, we assessed biochemical activities of pc-Mybex9b and the consequences of perturbing its expression in K562 and primary chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progenitor cells. Compared with p75c-Myb, pc-Mybex9b is more stable and more effective in transactivating Myb-regulated promoters. Ectopic expression of pc-Mybex9b enhanced proliferation and colony formation and reduced imatinib (IM) sensitivity of K562 cells; conversely, specific downregulation of pc-Mybex9b reduced proliferation and colony formation, enhanced IM sensitivity of K562 cells and markedly suppressed colony formation of CML CD34+ cells, without affecting the levels of p75c-Myb. Together, these studies indicate that expression of the low-abundance pc-Mybex9b isoform has an important role for the overall biological effects of c-Myb in BCR/ABL-transformed cells

Good places to live and sleep well: A literature review about the role of architecture in determining non‐visual effects of light

: Light plays a crucial role in affecting the melatonin secretion process, and consequently the sleep-wake cycle. Research has demonstrated that the main characteristics of lighting affecting the so-called circadian rhythms are spectrum, light levels, spatial pattern and temporal pattern (i.e., duration of exposure, timing and previous exposure history). Considering that today people spend most of their time in indoor environments, the light dose they receive strictly depends on the characteristics of the spaces where they live: location and orientation of the building, dimensions of the windows, presence of external obstructions, geometric characteristics of the space, optical properties of walls and furniture. Understanding the interaction mechanism between light and architecture is fundamental to design non-visually comfortable spaces. The goal of the paper is to deepen this complex issue. It is divided into two parts: a brief historical excursus about the relationship between lighting practice and architecture throughout the centuries and a review of the available research works about the topic. The analysis demonstrates that despite the efforts of the research, numerous open questions still remain, and they are mostly due to the lack of a shared and clear method to evaluate the effects of lighting on circadian rhythm regulation

Lighting Quality Self-assessment in Italian Home Offices

The spread of information technology and the improvement of telecommunicating systems have changed the way to conceive work. People performing typical office activities provided with a laptop and an internet connection can work in whatever place: a coffee house, a waiting room of a train station, an airport, or their own home. The habit to work at home has amazingly spread due to the Covid-19 pandemic, arising crucial questions. Are home work-stations comfortable enough to work? Are lighting conditions of residential spaces proper to perform typical office activities? This paper presents a survey investigating the typical characteristics of the luminous environment in home working spaces (considering both daylight and electric light) and people’s average awareness about light and lighting-connected themes. The research has been carried out through an online questionnaire addressed to home workers and students forced to stay home because of the Covid-19 spread. The results demonstrated that many interviewees have difficulties in managing light and are not completely aware of the right actions to take to improve lighting quality of home workplaces. Moreover, a complete lack of knowledge about electric light has emerged. So, popularizing more knowledge about light and lighting-connected themes is prominent. Indeed, now and even more in the future, people will work in places other than the traditional workplaces, for which standards regulating lighting characteristics do not exist. In this context, the definition of ad hoc guidelines and the spread of best practices should be a crucial goal for researchers and experts in lighting

Una nuova metodologia per definire le prestazioni dei sistemi di controllo automatico per l'illuminazione gestiti da fotosensori

È opinione comune che l’utilizzo di sistemi di controllo automatico per l’illuminazione gestiti da fotosensori consente di ottenere notevoli benefici sia in termini di risparmio energetico, che di miglioramento del comfort degli utenti. In realtà, ad oggi, le conoscenze sul reale funzionamento di tali sistemi sono piuttosto confuse e la letteratura scientifica riporta risultati talvolta contrastanti riguardo sia i risparmi energetici conseguibili, sia il grado di accettazione da parte degli utenti di un controllo di tipo automatico. Ciò dipende dal fatto che le prestazioni di tali sistemi sono fortemente influenzate da molti fattori, primo fra tutti la disponibilità di luce naturale; quindi la stessa soluzione tecnica, valida per un caso specifico, se applicata in un altro contesto può fornire risultati molto differenti. Dato il loro comportamento dinamico, uno dei problemi fondamentali della progettazione di tali sistemi è proprio la difficoltà nel descriverne le prestazioni tramite degli indici sintetici che siano in grado di consentire di volta in volta il confronto veloce ed immediato tra strategie progettuali differenti e l’identificazione della soluzione tecnica più adeguata al caso specifico. Date queste premesse, il lavoro descrive una nuova metodologia per definire le prestazioni dei sistemi di controllo automatico per l’illuminazione gestiti da fotosensori, basata sull’utilizzo di nuovi parametri prestazionali e presenta l’applicazione di tale metodo ad un caso studio, al fine di dimostrarne l’utilità