6,860 research outputs found
Nuove applicazioni per le unità abitative in emergenza: tecnologie e tecniche della tradizione costruttiva andina amazonica
This work reports the result of a research activity conducted in Bolivia in the year
2020, in synergy between Bolivian Polytechnic University School "Josè Maria Nunez
del Prado", University of Naples Federico II and Pegaso Telematic University. In
particular, the research had as its object the study of a housing unit suitable for
coping with the floods that frequently afflict some Bolivian peasant populations.
During the research, much attention was initially paid to the historical, political,
socio-economic aspects and to the cultural and traditional characteristics of the
ethnic groups that make up the population of Bolivia; subsequently, the
morphology and hydrography of the Bolivian territory were examined, as well as
the climate, the trend of rainfall and the El Niño and La Niña phenomena that often
cause floods with serious risks for the populations, especially rural ones.
Having completed these first two phases of the research, the authors moved on to
the study of the traditional construction characteristics of rural architecture, paying
particular attention to the basic construction materials used in the peasant areas
of Bolivia, in particular to raw earth and bamboo, as well as the principles and
rules that regulate the construction of rural housing in Bolivia.
For rural architecture, the traditional Pawichi house and the traditional dwellings
of the indigenous Chiquitana population were examined in detail.
Only after having acquired all these important aspects, the research became
interested in the design of a new rural house which, respecting Bolivian cultural
traditions, would be able to cope with floods and reduce the risks associated with
them.
In the design of this new emergency housing unit, the authors focused their
attention not only on the compositional and functional aspects of the housing unit,
but also on the constructive aspects by designing new structural elements such as
the pillars made with five bamboo canes suitably linked together. with knots of the
Andean construction tradition.
The composition of the housing unit proposed by the authors is governed by a
basic 4x4 module that can be full, or delimited by infill and window frames, or
empty, or without surrounding infill elements to allow the creation of the traditional
place for socialization, the Punilla.
Never as in this case have, I been particularly happy with the invitation formulated
by the authors, and in particular by the young researchers, Francesca Volpe and
Emanuele La Mantia, to present their work.
In fact, I was able to see the procedural quality of the research and the intelligent
design procedure that led to the definition of a housing prototype of great interest
for the Andean populations
Discriminating the-long distance dispersal of fine ash from sustained columns or near ground ash clouds: the example of the Pomici di Avellino eruption (Somma-Vesuvius, Italy).
Ash samples from tephra layers correlated with the Pomici di Avellino (Avellino Pumice) eruption
of Somma-Vesuvius were collected in distal archives and their composition and particle
morphology investigated in order to infer their behaviour of transportation and deposition.
Differences in composition and particle morphologies were recognised for ash particles belonging
to the magmatic Plinian and final phreatomagmatic phases of the eruption. The ash particles were
dispersed in opposite directions during the two different phases of the eruption, and these directions
are also different from that of coarse-grained fallout deposits. In particular, ash generated during
magmatic phase and injected in the atmosphere to form a sustained column shows a prevailing SE
dispersion, while ash particles generated during the final phreatomagmatic phase and carried by
pyroclastic density currents show a general NW dispersion. These opposite dispersions indicate an
ash dispersal influenced by both high and low atmosphere dynamics. In particular, the magmatic
ash dispersal was first driven by stratospheric wind towards NE and then the falling particles
encountered a variable wind field during their settling, which produced the observed preferential SE
dispersal. The wind field encountered by the rising ash clouds that accompanied the pyroclastic
density currents of the final phreatomagmatic phase was different with respect to that encountered
by the magmatic ash, and produced a NW dispersal. These data demonstrate how ash transportation
and deposition are greatly influenced by both high and low atmosphere dynamics. In particular,
fine-grained particles transported in ash clouds of small-scale pyroclastic density currents may be
dispersed over distances and cover areas comparable with those injected into the stratosphere by
Plinian, sustained columns. This is a point not completely addressed by present day mitigation plans
in case of renewal of activity at Somma-Vesuvius, and can yield important information also for
other volcanoes potentially characterised by explosive activity
Single-Center-Single-Blinded Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Nutraceutical Containing Boswellia Serrata, Bromelain, Zinc, Magnesium, Honey, Tyndallized Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Casei to Fight Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and Otitis Media
Some nutraceuticals have been studied as supportive treatment for fighting upper respiratory tract infection and middle ear disease. Our study aims at evaluating the effect of a specific oral supplementation in the treatment of pediatric otits media. The subjects were randomly assigned by the physician (single-blinded study) to one of three groups: Control Group (CG), Treatment Group 1 (TG1), or Treatment Group 2 (TG2). Both TG were treated with Flogostop Duo (for 20 days—TG1 or 30 days—TG2) in combination with the standard treatment, while CG underwent standard treatment only. The standard treatment was nasal aerosol with Fluticasone and Mucolytic, and nasal washing with hypertonic solution. All patients were analyzed by otoscopy, impedance, fibroscopy, and pure auditory test at the baseline (T0), after 20 days (T1) and 35 days (T2). 120 children were included in the study, 40 in the CG, 40 in the TG1, and 40 in the TG2. Both TG1 and TG2 presented statistically significant differences with respect to controls in otoscopy, impedance, fibroscopy, and PTA at T2. The otoscopy improved at T2 with statistically significant value only in TG2. The impedance and fibroscopy improved at T1 both in TG1 and TG2 compared to CG. A statistically significant improvement was observed in TG2 at T2 in comparison to both CG and TG1. Statistically significant differences were observed in PTA at T2 only compared with controls. This study confirmed the efficacy of nutraceutical as supporting therapy in the upper respiratory tract infection in children. In particular, the supplement containing Boswellia serrata and Bromelain, which are molecules with strong anti-inflammatory and pain-control capacities, could add the benefit without the adverse effects which are related to NSAID us
Conduit flow experiments help constraining the regime of explosive eruptions
It is currently impractical to measure what happens in a volcano during an explosive
eruption, and up to now much of our knowledge depends on theoretical models. Here we
show, by means of large‐scale experiments, that the regime of explosive events can be
constrained on the basis of the characteristics of magma at the point of fragmentation
and conduit geometry. Our model, whose results are consistent with the literature, is a
simple tool for defining the conditions at conduit exit that control the most hazardous
volcanic regimes. Besides the well‐known convective plume regime, which generates
pyroclastic fallout, and the vertically collapsing column regime, which leads to pyroclastic
flows, we introduce an additional regime of radially expanding columns, which form when
the eruptive gas‐particle mixture exits from the vent at overpressure with respect to
atmosphere. As a consequence of the radial expansion, a dilute collapse occurs, which
favors the formation of density currents resembling natural base surges. We conclude that
a quantitative knowledge of magma fragmentation, i.e., particle size, fragmentation
energy, and fragmentation speed, is critical for determining the eruption regime.Research was partially funded by DPC-INGV
agreement 07‐09 and MUR PRIN 06.PublishedB042043.6. Fisica del vulcanismoJCR Journalrestricte
Conduit flow experiments help constraining the regime of explosive eruptions
It is currently impractical to measure what happens in a volcano during an explosive
eruption, and up to now much of our knowledge depends on theoretical models. Here we
show, by means of large‐scale experiments, that the regime of explosive events can be
constrained on the basis of the characteristics of magma at the point of fragmentation
and conduit geometry. Our model, whose results are consistent with the literature, is a
simple tool for defining the conditions at conduit exit that control the most hazardous
volcanic regimes. Besides the well‐known convective plume regime, which generates
pyroclastic fallout, and the vertically collapsing column regime, which leads to pyroclastic
flows, we introduce an additional regime of radially expanding columns, which form when
the eruptive gas‐particle mixture exits from the vent at overpressure with respect to
atmosphere. As a consequence of the radial expansion, a dilute collapse occurs, which
favors the formation of density currents resembling natural base surges. We conclude that
a quantitative knowledge of magma fragmentation, i.e., particle size, fragmentation
energy, and fragmentation speed, is critical for determining the eruption regime
Conduit flow experiments help constraining the regime of explosive eruptions
It is currently impractical to measure what happens in a volcano during an explosive eruption,
and up to now much of our knowledge depends on theoretical models. Here we show, by means of
large-scale experiments, that the regime of explosive events can be constrained based on the
characteristics of magma at the point of fragmentation and conduit geometry. Our model, whose
results are consistent with the literature, is a simple tool for defining the conditions at conduit exit
that control the most hazardous volcanic regimes. Besides the well-known convective plume
regime, which generates pyroclastic fallout, and the vertically collapsing column regime, which
leads to pyroclastic flows, we introduce an additional regime of radially expanding columns, which
form when the eruptive gas-particle mixture exits from the vent at overpressure with respect to
atmosphere. As a consequence of the radial expansion, a dilute collapse occurs, which favours the
formation of density currents resembling natural base surges. We conclude that a quantitative
knowledge of magma fragmentation, i.e. particle size, fragmentation energy and fragmentation
speed, is critical for determining the eruption regime
Sam68 splicing regulation contributes to motor unit establishment in the postnatal skeletal muscle
RNA-binding proteins orchestrate the composite life of RNA molecules and impact most physiological processes, thus underlying complex phenotypes. The RNA-binding protein Sam68 regulates differentiation processes by modulating splicing, polyadenylation, and stability of select transcripts. Herein, we found that Sam68-/- mice display altered regulation of alternative splicing in the spinal cord of key target genes involved in synaptic functions. Analysis of the motor units revealed that Sam68 ablation impairs the establishment of neuromuscular junctions and causes progressive loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord. Importantly, alterations of neuromuscular junction morphology and properties in Sam68-/- mice correlate with defects in muscle and motor unit integrity. Sam68-/- muscles display defects in postnatal development, with manifest signs of atrophy. Furthermore, fast-twitch muscles in Sam68-/- mice show structural features typical of slow-twitch muscles, suggesting alterations in the metabolic and functional properties of myofibers. Collectively, our data identify a key role for Sam68 in muscle development and suggest that proper establishment of motor units requires timely expression of synaptic splice variants
Gray matter injury associated with periventricular leukomalacia in the premature infant
Neuroimaging studies indicate reduced volumes of certain gray matter regions in survivors of prematurity with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). We hypothesized that subacute and/or chronic gray matter lesions are increased in incidence and severity in PVL cases compared to non-PVL cases at autopsy. Forty-one cases of premature infants were divided based on cerebral white matter histology: PVL (n = 17) with cerebral white matter gliosis and focal periventricular necrosis; diffuse white matter gliosis (DWMG) (n = 17) without necrosis; and
Food groups, oils and butter, and cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx
To elucidate the role of dietary habits, a study was carried out in 1992-1997 in the province of Pordenone in Northeastern Italy, and those of Rome and Latina in central Italy. Cases were 512 men and 86 women with cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx (lip, salivary glands and nasopharynx excluded) and controls were 1008 men and 483 women who had been admitted to local hospitals for a broad range of acute non-neoplastic conditions. The validated dietary section of the questionnaire included 78 foods or recipes and ten questions on fat intake patterns. After allowance for education, smoking, alcohol and total energy intake, significant trends of increasing risk with increasing intake emerged for soups, eggs, processed meats, cakes and desserts, and butter. Risk was approximately halved in the highest compared to the lowest intake quintile for coffee and tea, white bread, poultry, fish, raw and cooked vegetables, citrus fruit, and olive oil. The inverse association with oils, especially olive oil, was only slightly attenuated by allowance for vegetable intake. Thus, frequent consumption of vegetables, citrus fruit, fish and vegetable oils were the major features of a low-risk diet for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx
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