A model for the sustainable selection of building envelope assemblies

The aim of this article is to define an evaluation model for the environmental impacts of building envelopes to support planners in the early phases of materials selection. The model is intended to estimate environmental impacts for different combinations of building envelope assemblies based on scientifically recognised sustainability indicators. These indicators will increase the amount of information that existing catalogues show to support planners in the selection of building assemblies.To define the model, first the environmental indicators were selected based on the specific aims of the intended sustainability assessment. Then, a simplified LCA methodology was developed to estimate the impacts applicable to three types of dwellings considering different envelope assemblies, building orientations and climate zones. This methodology takes into account the manufacturing, installation, maintenance and use phases of the building. Finally, the model was validated and a matrix in Excel was created as implementation of the model

Inclusion of gender views for the evaluation and mitigation of urban vulnerability: A case study in castellón

The inclusion of gender views in every field and, especially, in urbanism, has become crucial for urban planning. Considering both men’s and women’s interests in an integrated gender equality perspective provides better results that improve the quality of public spaces and engenders a more sustainable society. However, to realize such benefits, efforts are required not only to understand the needs and preferences of urban residents but also to shape policies and develop strategies to mitigate vulnerability with population involvement. In order to help decision makers at the urban level evaluate vulnerability with the inclusion of gender views, this study proposes a model that incorporates the specificities of urban fabric users that face adverse conditions. The model is based on a structured and standardized checklist of key topics that could be applied to any urban devel-opment. From this checklist, a list of categories, subcategories, and indicators were proposed and validated using the inter-judge agreement technique. To illustrate this model, this paper presents the case study of Castellón (Spain) in which deprived neighborhoods were analyzed, updating a previous model intended only to detect vulnerability. The results help link policy making to social vulnerability and indicate strategies to reach inclusive neighborhoods via a gender equality ap-proach

Comparative proteomic analysis of collection and clinical-isolate strains of psudomonas aeruginosa

Comunicaciones a congreso

Análisis de sistemas de valoración de la sostenibilidad en la edificación en relación con la norma CEN/TC 350

Numerous sustainability rating systems have been developed in the building sector. In this paper we distinguish between those whose aim is to allow companies striving for improved performance to gain an objective basis for communicating their efforts, such as LEED, and those that aim to communicate the life cycle environmental impact of goods, such as ATHENA Impact Estimator. We name the former effort-driven assessment and the latter data-driven assessment. This work undertakes a state-of-the-art review of all these assessment systems and assesses their effectiveness comparing the indicators used for assessment against the established standards by the Technical Committee (TC) 350 of the European Committee for standardization (CEN/TC 350). About 62% of the social and economic indicators remain unconsidered by the existing data-driven assessment tools, whereas effort-driven assessment tools have a higher consideration of social and economic aspects, with about half of the indicators unconsidered.En el sector de la construcción se han desarrollado numerosos sistemas de calificación de sostenibilidad. En este documento distinguimos entre aquellos que pretenden que las empresas que luchan por mejorar su sostenibilidad obtengan una base objetiva para comunicar sus esfuerzos, como LEED, y aquellos que evalúan el impacto medioambiental de los productos durante el ciclo de vida, como ATHENA Impact Estimador. Denominamos a los primeros, sistemas de evaluación basada en el esfuerzo y a los segundos, sistemas de evaluación basada en datos. Este trabajo revisa el estado del arte de estos sistemas y evalúa su efectividad comparando los indicadores utilizados con los estándares establecidos por el the Technical Committee (TC) 350 of the European Committee for standardization (CEN). Observamos que un 62% de los indicadores sociales y económicos propuestos por el CEN/TC 350 no son considerados por los sistemas de evaluación basados en datos mientras que los sistemas de evaluación basados en el esfuerzo tienen en cuenta aproximadamente la mitad de estos indicadores

Sulfonamide-based diffusible signal factor analogs interfere with quorum sensing in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Burkholderia cepacia

Aim: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (Sm) and Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) are Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, which are typically multidrug resistant and excellent biofilm producers. These phenotypes are controlled by quorum sensing (QS) systems from the diffusible signal factor (DSF) family. We aim to interfere with this QS system as an alternative approach in combatting such difficult-to-treat infections. Materials & methods: A library of sulfonamide-based DSF bioisosteres was synthesized and tested against the major phenotypes regulated by QS. Results & conclusion: Several analogs display significant antibiofilm activity while the majority increase the action of the last-resort antibiotic colistin against Sm and BCC. Most compounds inhibit DSF synthesis in the Sm K279a strain. Our results support the strategy of interfering with QS communications to combat multidrug resistance

Epidemiology and Molecular Typing of Pregnancy-Associated Listeriosis Cases in Lombardy, Italy, over a 10-Year Period (2005–2014)

In developed countries, pregnancy-related listeriosis accounts for 20\u201343% of total invasive listeriosis. This work describes the first pregnancy-related listeriosis survey in Italy based on two data sources, that is, mandatory notification system and regional laboratory-based network. Out of 610 listeriosis cases reported over a 10-year period, 40 were pregnancy-related (6.6%). Among these, 29 pregnancy-related isolates were available and have been analysed with serotyping, Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, and Multi-Virulence-Locus Sequence Typing. No maternal fatality was recorded, but 11 (29.7%) pregnancies resulted in a foetal death, a miscarriage, or a birth of a foetus dying immediately after birth. The average incidence of pregnancy-related listeriosis was 4.3 cases per 100000 births, and the proportion of pregnancy-associated listeriosis among ethnic minorities was significantly higher compared to the general population (30.0% versus 3.5%, ). L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b, with the latter significantly more prevalent among pregnancy-related isolates. Twenty different pulsotypes were distinguished and 16 out of the 29 isolates were classified into seven clusters. A total of 16 virulence types (VTs) were identified. Five VTs accounted for 45% of the total cases and coincided with those of previously described Epidemic Clones (ECs) of L. monocytogenes

Identification of a major Listeria monocytogenes outbreak clone linked to soft cheese in Northern Italy - 2009-2011

Background: Molecular subtyping and enhanced surveillance in Lombardy region identified a cluster of possibly related listeriosis cases from 2006 to 2010. This cluster grouped 31 isolates that belonged to serotype 1/2a and Sequence Type 38 (ST38) as defined by Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST). Methods: Our study expanded the previous investigation to include cases from 2011 to 2014 and used Multi-Virulence- Locus Sequence Typing (MVLST) on all ST38 isolates to better understand their epidemiology and possibly identify a common source outbreak. Results: Out of 306 L. monocytogenes clinical isolates collected, 43 (14.1%) belonged to ST38 with cases occurring in nine out of twelve Lombardy provinces. The ST38 isolates were split by MVLST into two Virulence Types (VTs): VT80 (n = 12) and VT104 (n = 31). VT104 cases were concentrated between 2009 and 2011 in two provinces, Bergamo and Milan. An epidemiologic investigation was performed and in one case, a matching VT104 isolate was retrieved from a soft cheese sample from a patient's refrigerator. Conclusions: Our findings revealed a major listeriosis outbreak in Northern Italy linked to soft cheese in 20092011, which went undetected by local health authorities. Our study shows that integrating subtyping methods with conventional epidemiology can help identify the source of L. monocytogenes outbreak clones

High-resolution diffusion pattern of human infections by Salmonella enterica serovar Napoli in Northern Italy explained through phylogeography

Salmonella enterica serovar Napoli (serovar Napoli) is an emerging cause of human salmonellosis in Northern Italy. No specific reservoirs of serovar Napoli have been identified in Italy, so far. However, the environment, especially surface waters, has been hypothesized as an important source of infection based on the observation that genotypically different clusters of serovar Napoli are detected in different geographical macro-areas. To further support the hypothesis of a spatially-restricted pattern of serovar Napoli diffusion, a spatial segregation of serovar Napoli lineages should be observed also at smaller geographical scale. However, classical genotyping techniques used for Salmonella, such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), did not possess enough discriminatory power to highlight spatial clustering of serovar Napoli within the macro-areas. To this purpose, we performed phylogeographical analyses based on genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms to test whether spatiotemporal evolution patterns of serovar Napoli in Northern Italy could be recognized with high geographical resolution, i.e. at local level. Specifically, we analyzed the local spread of the main PFGE clonal group, responsible for more than 60% of human infections in the study area, that did not show any geographical differentiation by PFGE within Northern Italy, i.e. the macro-area considered in the study. Both discrete and continuous phylogeography highlighted the existence of two main geographically-restricted clades: a Southern clade corresponding to the Po Valley and a Northern clade corresponding to the Pre-Alps area. Furthermore, the phylogeographical analyses suggested that the most probable site of origin of the clone was in an area of the Po Valley at the confluence of the Po and Ticino rivers, one of the most important Italian wetlands. These findings provide further support to the hypothesis that environmental transmission may play an important role in the ecology of serovar Napoli

536Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) Comparing Initial Non-Nucleoside Reverse-Transcriptase Inhibitor (NNRTI)- versus Ritonavir Boosted Protease Inhibitor (PI/r)-based Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART)

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