Within the technical image: an alternative reading of contemporary Swiss-German architecture

Nel corso degli anni Novanta del XX secolo, l’involucro esterno è diventato un elemento cruciale dell’architettura costruita. Ma tutte le “architetture epiteliali” possono essere lette secondo le medesime chiavi di lettura? Il testo indaga cosa si cela dietro o, ancora meglio, dentro agli spettacolari involucri dell’architettura recente e alle loro forme apparentemente arbitrarie. Lo fa attraverso diversi casi studio, tra cui numerose architetture recenti della Svizzera tedesca, mettendo in luce come non tutti i casi possano essere letti come esito di un processo arbitrario. L’architettura svizzera poggia su di una tradizione costruttiva consolidata: l’architettura consiste prima di tutto nel costruire correttamente. A questo si aggiunge il fatto che gli architetti svizzeri contemporanei hanno sviluppato una precoce consapevolezza delle questioni relative alla sostenibilità: già dagli anni Settanta, prima della maggior parte delle nazioni europee, i regolamenti federali pongono un’attenzione crescente alla sostenibilità del parco costruito e promuovono la sperimentazione in questo campo. Così contestualizzato, l’approccio degli architetti svizzeri pare dunque eminentemente realistico: l’ineluttabile stratificazione dell’involucro moderno, che decreta di fatto la sparizione della struttura dall'immagine dell’edificio, viene assunto dagli architetti svizzero-tedeschi non solo per le sue performances tecniche, ma anche per il suo potenziale formale e progettuale. Il progetto dell’involucro esterno diventa così per loro occasione per mettere in evidenza gli elementi costruttivi e i loro assemblaggi, aprendo la via a quella che può essere definita una “tettonica del rivestimento”

The Couvent de La Tourette from 1960 to the present day. Future Discernibility of Past Interventions

The La Tourette Convent, built by Le Corbusier in Eveux (1953–1960) was subjected to interventions very soon after its inauguration. The article presents a critical analysis of these interventions: those overseen by Fernand Gardien (until 1964) right after completion; those undertaken before the complex was listed and for which limited documentation is available (1964–1979); the restoration campaign led by the Architecte en Chef des Monuments Historiques (ACMH) Mortamet, who followed an approach based on the completion of Le Corbusier’s work; lastly the most recent campaign, overseen by the ACMH Repellin, who succeeded in devising intelligent alternative compliance measures thanks to the fire safety officials. The complex was returned to its original appearance, following an approach that has yet to come to terms with the aging of modern architectural works, but is nevertheless still widely used today in the conservation of 20th century architecture

What “Rights” for 20th Century Monuments ? A troubleesome topic for a Meeting at the Accademia di Architecttura in Mendrisio

The protection of 20th century architecture has by now become a fully–fledged part of the dis- cipline of preservation, and even the heritage of the second post–war period is increasingly recognised as worthy of conservation. Nonetheless, in practice, this cultural awareness still clashes with the dif- ficulties attached to adapting buildings to present day regulations. Even when intervening on buildings that are officially recognized as “monuments”, from one country to another and even from one region to another in the same country, there is great variety in how dispensations from applicable regulations are allowed

Studio osservazionale caso-controllo sugli outcome neonatali in donne gravide con infezione da HIV: Genova San Martino 2015-2018

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy was associated with a drastic reduction in HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), but the risk of preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) remained high in HIV-infected pregnant women. The objective of the study was to evaluate neonatal outcomes (PTB, LBW and small for gestational age infants (SGA)) and hematological and hepatic adverse events in HIV-infected pregnant women and to compare these outcomes with those of infants born to HIV-uninfected women. Neonatal outcomes were analyzed in two contemporary cohorts of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected pregnant women attending to San Martino Hospital in Genoa between 2015 and 2018. Multivariate logistic regression will be used to estimate the adjusted effect of HIV status on neonatal outcomes. Overall, 16 infants born to HIV-infected women and 80 infants born to HIV-uninfected women were included in the study. No differences statistically significant in demographic and clinical characteristics were found in two cohorts of women (median age was 31.6 years in HIV-infected group vs. 33.2 years in HIV-uninfected group of women), except for foreign women who were 85.7% in HIV-infected group and 17.5% in HIV-uninfected group (p<0.001). The diagnosis of HIV infection was performed before pregnancy in the majority of cases (72%). Nine (65%) patients were on ART at conception and almost all (86%) had been treated during pregnancy. Observed neonatal outcomes in infants born to HIV-infected women were: 31.3% PTB (vs. 10% in infants born to HIV-uninfected women, p=0.04), 31.3% LBW (vs. 6.3% in infants born to HIV-uninfected women, p=0.03), 18.8% SGA (vs. 11.3% in infants born to HIV-uninfected women, p=0.41). In the multivariate analysis, mother\u2019s HIV infection was associated with LBW (OR=5.8; CI95%, 1.3-24.7; p=0.02). Biochemical adverse effects in infants born to HIV-infected women were: liver function test abnormalities (53%), anemia (31%) and thrombocytopenia (6%). In conclusion, rates of PTB and LBW were higher among infants born to HIV-infected women than in those born to HIV-uninfected women. Mother\u2019s HIV infection was associated with an increased risk of LBW, but not with PTB

Ganglion cell complex and retinal nerve fiber layer measured by fourier-domain optical coherence tomography for early detection of structural damage in patients with preperimetric glaucoma

Teresa Rolle, Cristina Briamonte, Daniela Curto, Federico Maria GrignoloEye Clinic, Section of Ophthalmology, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Torino, Torino, ItalyAims: To evaluate the capability of Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) to detect structural damage in patients with preperimetric glaucoma.Methods: A total of 178 Caucasian subjects were enrolled in this cohort study: 116 preperimetric glaucoma patients and 52 healthy subjects. Using three-dimensional FD-OCT, the participants underwent imaging of the ganglion cell complex (GCC) and the optic nerve head. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and predictive values were calculated for all parameters at the first and fifth percentiles. Areas under the curves (AUCs) were generated for all parameters and were compared (Delong test). For both the GCC and the optic nerve head protocols, the OR logical disjunction (Boolean logic operator) was calculated.Results: The AUCs didn&amp;rsquo;t significantly differ. Macular global loss volume had the largest AUC (0.81). Specificities were high at both the fifth and first percentiles (up to 97%), but sensitivities were low, especially at the first percentile (55%&amp;ndash;27%).Conclusion: Macular and papillary diagnostic accuracies did not differ significantly based on the 95% confidence interval. The computation of the Boolean OR operator has been found to boost diagnostic accuracy. Using the software-provided classification, sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy were low for both the retinal nerve fiber layer and the GCC scans. FD-OCT does not seem to be decisive for early detection of structural damage in patients with no functional impairment. This suggests that there is a need for analysis software to be further refined to enhance glaucoma diagnostic capability.Keywords: OCT, RNFL, GCC, diagnostic accuracy&amp;nbsp

Stochastic Comparisons for Time Transformed Exponential Models

Different sufficient conditions for stochastic comparisons between random vectors have been described in the literature. In particular, conditions for the comparison of random vectors having the same copula, i.e., the same dependence structure, may be found in Müller and Scarsini (2001). Here we provide conditions for the comparison, in the usual stochastic order sense and in other weaker stochastic orders, of two time transformed exponential bivariate lifetimes having different copulas. Some examples of applications are provided too

Terson syndrome and leukemia: a case report

BACKGROUND: Terson syndrome is defined as intraocular hemorrhage associated with intracranial bleeding. This syndrome can occur in the event of intracranial hemorrhage or elevated intracranial pressure. To our knowledge, it has never been associated with chronic myeloid leukemia. A 45-year-old woman suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia was referred to our clinic with Terson syndrome after intracranial bleeding. We followed this patient for a year, performing visual acuity assessment, fundus examination, color retinography, and A-scan and B-scan ultrasonography. At presentation, her best-corrected visual acuity on the right was 20/63 and on the left was 20/320. In the right eye, retinoscopy showed blurring of the optic margins surrounded by retinal and preretinal hemorrhages, preretinal fibrosis of the optic disc along the vascular arcades, and perivascular retinal infiltrates. In the left eye, the optic disc was surrounded by retinal and preretinal hemorrhages, and massive fibrosis with hard exudates and severe preretinal hemorrhage were observed at the posterior pole. Roth spots and many circular hemorrhages were noted at the periphery of the retina. A-scan and B-scan ultrasonography did not show intraocular leukemic infiltration. The clinical picture remained stable over the following 12 months. In this patient, we observed the ophthalmoscopic features of chronic myeloid leukemia, but also coexistence of features typical of Terson syndrome. To our knowledge, no similar cases have been reported previously