Spazio pubblico e attrattività urbana. L'Isola e le sue piazze

L’Isola e le sue piazze è un progetto di valorizzazione urbana integrata promosso nel gennaio 2015 da Comune di Milano, Regione Lombardia e Distretto urbano del commercio Isola, volto a promuovere l’identità del quartiere Isola, attraverso la realizzazione di arredi temporanei, eventi e un piano di comunicazione. Entro tale contesto, un gruppo multidisciplinare di ricerca del Politecnico di Milano afferente ai dipartimenti di Architettura e Studi Urbani e di Design, attraverso mappature e rilievi, osservazione diretta e interviste, ha condotto un lavoro di accompagnamento e monitoraggio della proposta risultata vincitrice del bando pubblico. Il volume restituisce gli esiti della ricerca: descrive lo sfondo entro cui è maturato il progetto, racconta le specificità del quartiere, la qualità del suo spazio pubblico, le geografie dell’offerta economica. I testi degli autori della ricerca si intrecciano alle voci di abitanti, di testimoni privilegiati, di rappresentanti delle istituzioni e dell’associazionismo locale che a vario titolo sono stati coinvolti dal progetto, con l’obiettivo di riflettere sulle molteplici dimensioni dello spazio pubblico e dell’attrattività urbana: dagli usi formali e informali ai servizi commerciali di prossimità, dagli eventi che hanno avuto luogo nel periodo osservato alle dinamiche che hanno innescato, fino agli esiti di un inedito bando e alle opportunità della sua replicabilità

THE ACTIVITY DEPENDENT CLEAVAGE AND NUCLEAR FUNCTION OF FEMALE LIMITED EPILEPSY PROTEIN PCDH19

PCDH19-female limited epilepsy is characterized by seizures onset in infancy or early childhood, cognitive impairment and behavioral disturbances. PCDH19 gene, located at the X-chromosome, is the causative gene and till now have been identified more than 100 different pathogenic point mutations. Peculiar features of PCDH19-FLE are the unusual inheritance pattern and the existence of various phenotypic degrees, even between patients carrying the same mutation. There are several hypotheses that try to explain the pathogenic mechanism. However a clear and precise explanation is still lacking. Moreover, little is known about the expression and functions of PCDH19 protein encoded by the FLE causative gene. Thus, the principal aim of our work is to go deeper into PCDH19 physiological functions in order to understand which kind of pathways could be impaired in patients and highlight crucial points altered in pathological conditions that could represent new therapeutic targets. The first part of our work aimed to define PCDH19 expression in rat brain and in neuronal cells. In particular we investigated PCDH19 expression level in different adult rat brain regions and we analyzed the subcellular localization of PCDH19 in cultured hippocampal neurons. In the second part of the work we investigated PCDH19 neuronal functions, in particular we examined a new molecular mechanism by which PCDH19 could link external stimuli with intracellular compartment focusing more on its putative intracellular functions. Then, we investigated the effect of PCDH19 loss in cultured hippocampal neurons. We used a shRNA strategy that induces loss of expression of PCDH19 resembling PCDH19-FLE condition and we analyzed which targets are impaired by PCDH19 knockdown. Once we obtained putative targets, we went deeper into the molecular and functional mechanism that links PCDH19 protein to these targets in order to clarify the pathways in which PCDH19 plays an important role and that could be impaired by the loss of PCDH19 expression. The results would facilitate the identification of new therapeutic targets

Up-down instability of binary black holes in numerical relativity

Binary black holes with spins that are aligned with the orbital angular momentum do not precess. However, post-Newtonian calculations predict that "up-down" binaries, in which the spin of the heavier (lighter) black hole is aligned (antialigned) with the orbital angular momentum, are unstable when the spins are slightly perturbed from perfect alignment. This instability provides a possible mechanism for the formation of precessing binaries in environments where sources are preferentially formed with (anti) aligned spins. In this paper, we present the first full numerical relativity simulations capturing this instability. These simulations span $\sim 100$ orbits and $\sim 3$-$5$ precession cycles before merger, making them some of the longest numerical relativity simulations to date. Initialized with a small perturbation of $1^{\circ}$-$10^{\circ}$, the instability causes a dramatic growth of the spin misalignments, which can reach $\sim 90^{\circ}$ near merger. We show that this leaves a strong imprint on the subdominant modes of the gravitational wave signal, which can potentially be used to distinguish up-down binaries from other sources. Finally, we show that post-Newtonian and effective-one-body approximants are able to reproduce the unstable dynamics of up-down binaries extracted from numerical relativity

Characterisation of flow dynamics within and around an isolated forest, through measurements and numerical simulations

The case study of ‘Bosco Fontana’, a densely-vegetated forest located in the north of Italy, is analysed both experimentally and numerically to characterise the internal ventilation of a finite forest with a vertically non-homogeneous canopy. Measurements allow for the evaluation of the turbulent exchange across the forest canopy. The case study is then reproduced numerically via a two-dimensional RANS simulation, successfully validated against experimental data. The analysis of the internal ventilation leads to the identification of seven regions of motion along the predominate-wind direction, for whose definition a new in-canopy stability parameter was introduced. In the vertical direction, the non-homogeneity of the canopy leads to the separation of the canopy layer into an upper foliage layer and a lower bush layer, characterised respectively by an increasing streamwise velocity and turbulence intensity, and a weak backflow. The conclusions report an improved description of the dynamic layer and regions of motion presented in the literature

Prevalence and 9-year incidence of hepatitis E virus infection among north italian blood donors: Estimated transfusion risk

Recent European guidelines recommend that screening policiesfor Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in blood donors should be based on local risk assessments. We determined the prevalence of current and past HEV infection in donors from Lombardy, the Italian region providing 24% of the Italian blood supply. We also calculated the incidence of infection over a period of 10 years, and estimated the risk of transfusion-related transmission. The study was conducted within the framework of BOTIA, an EU-funded project. HEV RNA was detected by individual donation testing, and the prevalence and incidence of anti-HEV antibodies were determined in two subgroups. The risk of receiving an infected blood unit was estimated on the basis of HEV RNA yields and serology. RESULTS: One of the 9726 donors was truly viremic. The prevalence of confirmed anti-HEV IgG reactivity was 52/767 (6.8%; 95%CI 5.1-8.8%). The incidence of HEV infection was 7.6/10000 per year (95%CI 2.1-2.5 per year). The estimated transfusion-related risk of infection was 1/10000 blood donations on the basis of HEV RNA yield (upper limit of the 95%CI 1:1666), and 1/16666 donations on the basis of the incidence data (95%CI 1:435-1:57000).In conclusion, The frequency of current and past HEV infection in blood donors living in Northern Italy is among the lowest so far reported in Europe. The estimated transfusion-related risk of infection was similar regardless of whether it was calculated on the basis of HEV RNA yield or serological incidence, thus suggesting stable infection pressure over the last ten years

Carotid plaque imaging profiling in subjects with risk factors (diabetes and hypertension)

Carotid artery stenosis (CAS) due to the presence of atherosclerotic plaque (AP) is a frequent medical condition and a known risk factor for stroke, and it is also known from literature that several risk factors promote the AP development, in particular aging, smoke, male sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoke, diabetes type 1 and 2, and genetic factors. The study of carotid atherosclerosis is continuously evolving: even if the strategies of treatment still depends mainly on the degree of stenosis (DoS) determined by the plaque, in the last years the attention has moved to the study of the plaque components in order to identify the so called “vulnerable” plaque: features like the fibrous cap status and thickness, the volume of the lipid-rich necrotic core and the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) are risk factors for plaque rupture, that can be studied with modern imaging techniques. The aim of this review is to give a general overview of the principle histological and imaging features of the subcomponent of carotid AP (CAP), focalizing in particular on the features of CAP of patients affected by hypertension and diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes mellitus)

Fulminant myocarditis parvovirus B19 related in a young woman

We present the case of a 18-year-old female with fulminant lymphocytic myocarditis caused by Parvovirus B19 (PVB19), successfully treated using temporary LVAD. In the literature there is no consensus on the surgical strategy. While some surgeons prefer to use a single device supporting only the LV, others prefer to start immediately with a biventricular supporting. At pre-procedural ultrasound evaluation, her anatomical features were not suitable for a percutaneous device such as the Impella. Thus, a temporary paracorporeal continuous flow LVAD was inserted. The heart recovery allowed LVAD removal 9 days after the implant

Plasma cells in the carotid plaque: occurrence and significance

OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide. Inflammation, including monocytes, T and B cells, plays a key role in its pathogenesis. Our purpose was to evaluate plasma cells’ presence in a large series of carotid artery plaques and the clinical association. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight consecutive patients treated with carotid endarterectomy were retrospectively analyzed to assess plasma cells’ presence inside the plaque. A semiquantitative grading score was applied, ranging from absence, scattered, clusters of 5-10, and sheets of >10 plasma cells. Plasma cell’s location, as intraplaque, subendothelial or peri-adventitial, was also defined. RESULTS: In 75% of plaques analyzed, plasma cells were detected: scattered in 63.9%, in clusters in 22.2%, and in sheets in 13.9% of cases. In all cases, plasma cells were observed only inside the plaque. In 13.9% and in 11.1% of cases, plasma cells showed, respectively, a concomitant subendothelial or peri-adventitial distribution. In 5.6% of plaques, there was a simultaneous distribution in subendothelial, peri-adventitial layer, and intraplaque. Association between the presence of symptoms and plasma cells infiltrate was found. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that plasma cells could be a key parameter linked to plaque instability. Some types of configurations are significantly associated with the occurrence of cerebrovascular symptoms