ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN 4th International Conference on Environmental Design 9-11 May 2024

Progress necessitates a proactive approach, one that involves researching and understanding our environment with a view toward shaping future outcomes. We often find ourselves immersed in discussions about environmental issues such as pollution, traffic, and consumption, yet active participation is not always as prevalent. The Environmental Design Conference serves as a platform for shedding light on the outcomes of research efforts across various fronts. It fosters scientific discourse among researchers, making visible both theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence. Moreover, it aims to raise awareness among public institutions and businesses about the necessary steps for a sustainable future, ultimately enhancing personal well-being and community welfare. Engaging in discussion, analysis, and proposal is imperative in navigating the challenges that lie ahead. By inviting scientific luminaries from diverse backgrounds and distinguished research institutions, the conference facilitates the exchange of ideas, fostering innovation and driving progress. It provides an invaluable opportunity for emerging scholars to showcase their research on an international stage, fostering collaboration and enriching the collective vision of the MDA community, dedicated to enhancing the quality of life. MDA periodically hosts conferences open to researchers worldwide who share an interest in contributing to the ongoing dialogue on improving quality of life. The 2024 Conference held in Ginosa saw participation from researchers from different disciplines. The outcomes of this event have been documented in a volume accessible on the association's website (mda. center), serving as a testament to the collective efforts toward a better future

Food Insecurity and Mental Health Correlations and Barriers on a College Campus

Food insecurity is defined by the U.S Department of Agriculture as “the uncertain or limited ability to get adequate food due to lack of financial resources” (Watson, Malan, Glik, & Martinez, 2017, p. 130). It tends to go unnoticed, and the size of the vulnerable population cannot be fully depicted because of stigma in seeking help. One study could only estimate from findings that 14% to 59% of students will be food insecure at some point throughout their college years (Henry, 2017). Food insecurity is affecting students’ social and mental health, diet choices, and physical well-being. Food insecurity is only one of many possible mediating factors on mental health and vice versa. There is an underwhelming amount of research on correlations between the two. This study is a mixed methods exploratory survey study investigating a convenience sample of young adults attending Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) within the 2018-2019 school year. The research utilizes quantitative data to analyze the following: frequency for the desire for a food pantry, prevalence of food insecurity, levels of food insecurity on campus per individual, and symptoms of mental health. Qualitative data is used to examine various participants’ perspectives on food insecurity on campus from students’ perspective. Descriptive statistics were done for main components of demographics, level of food insecurity, frequency, and correlations between mental health and food insecurity. Significant data were found between depression and the amount of times students were food insecure over the semester. Qualitative interviews also were examined for multiple themes. While there are limitations present within the study, specifically the self evaluation and small sample size, implications for HSU were provided. The main recommendations for the study are using the responses as a guide to the possible creation of a student led food pantry, how to address specific target area needs for students that may have gone under the radar, and the size of the food insecure vulnerable population. HSU can decide further action to better address their student population needs, and university goals

Israel coordinates for all static spherically symmetric spacetimes with vanishing second Ricci invariant

Static spherically symmetric spacetimes with vanishing second Ricci invariant constitute an important class of solutions to Einstein's equations and more generally as archetypes of regular black holes. When studying completeness one is most often presented with the Kruskal - Szekeres procedure. However, this procedure only works if the spacetime admits a single non-degenerate Killing horizon (a single bifurcation two-sphere). Here we generalize the Israel procedure to examine a constructive approach to completeness based entirely on the static spherically symmetric nature of spacetimes with a vanishing second Ricci invariant. It is shown by "block gluing" that the Israel procedure can cover two bifurcation two-spheres, but can fail with three. No coordinate transformations are used in this work.Comment: 5 pages. Revised focus. No mathematical change

SITOGEO: A geographic database used for GIS applications

This contribution aims to present the geographic database “SITOGEO” developed with GIS technology. This database manages data of different nature, source and resolution (land images, digital elevation model, cartographic maps and vector data) covering the whole of Italy. In this paper we show that our database can be used for the assessment, management and mitigation of risks regarding the preservation of cultural heritage and as valid support for the remote-sensing technologies

Key-Drivers to design urban mobility services for silver age and age-friendly cities.

The vision regarding ageing is often influenced by negative stereotypes, which lead to considering the over-55 user only in need of targeted assistance and care. Observing the current situation, this view should be no longer exhaustive: they are active users, capable of exercising agency, with needs and desires beyond care and assistance, and bearers of experience and knowledge. It is therefore clear that design strategies to develop services for this user group must necessarily broaden their horizons and begin to consider areas that have been scarcely explored. The contribution focuses on the topic of urban mobility and proposes a preliminary analysis process, based on the scientific literature and on the analysis of case studies to highlight good design practices, and carried out within a joint research platform, whose structure, functions, and role is also highlighted. Lastly, it proposes a mapping of design directions to be applied to implement age-friendly solutions

Made in Italy. Values, identity, and relationships

The interpretation of “Made in Italy” values and their relationship with consumer perception are deeply intertwined with cultural and social aspects. With its strong connection to places of origin, the Made in Italy brand carries a profound symbolic value that resonates with our shared cultural heritage. Over the years, Made in Italy has evolved into a powerful collective brand, uniting numerous companies and embodying qualities, style, and historical culture. It stands as a beacon of design leadership, conjuring images of diverse productions, boundless creativity, and innovative prowess that we all contribute to. Yet, the perception of the current Made in Italy is a nuanced interplay of current production transformations and more profound shifts in the global, sociological, and cultural context. Understanding this dynamic can give us a richer perspective on the brand’s evolution

Hedgehog Signalling in Androgen Independent Prostate Cancer

Objectives: Androgen-deprivation therapy effectively shrinks hormone-naïve prostate cancer, both in the prostate and at sites of distant metastasis. However prolonged androgen deprivation generally results in relapse and androgen-independent tumour growth, which is inevitably fatal. The molecular events that enable prostate cancer cells to proliferate in reduced androgen conditions are poorly understood. Here we investigate the role of Hedgehog signalling in androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC). Methods: Activity of the Hedgehog signalling pathway was analysed in cultured prostate cancer cells, and circulating prostate tumour cells were isolated from blood samples of patients with AIPC. Results: AIPC cells were derived through prolonged culture in reduced androgen conditions, modelling hormone therapy in patients, and expressed increased levels of Hedgehog signalling proteins. Exposure of cultured AIPC cells to cyclopamine, which inhibits Hedgehog signalling, resulted in inhibition of cancer cell growth. The expression of the Hedgehog receptor PTCH and the highly prostate cancer-specific gene DD3PCA3 was significantly higher in circulating prostate cancer cells isolated from patients with AIPC compared with samples prepared from normal individuals. There was an association between PTCH and DD3PCA3 expression and the length of androgen-ablation therapy. Conclusions: Our data are consistent with reports implicating overactivity of Hedgehog signalling in prostate cancer and suggest that Hedgehog signalling contributes to the androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer cells. As systemic anti-Hedgehog medicines are developed, the Hedgehog pathway will become a potential new therapeutic target in advanced prostate cancer.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Performance modeling of ultraviolet Raman lidar systems for daytime profiling of atmospheric water vapor

We describe preliminary results from a comprehensive computer model developed to guide optimization of a Raman lidar system for measuring daytime profiles of atmospheric water vapor, emphasizing an ultraviolet, solar-blind approach

Measuring Conceptual Understanding Using Comparative Judgement.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The publisher's final version of record can be found by following the DOI link.The importance of improving students’ understanding of core concepts in mathematics is well established. However, assessing the impact of different teaching interventions designed to improve students’ conceptual understanding requires the validation of adequate measures. Here we propose a novel method of measuring conceptual understanding based on comparative judgement (CJ). Contrary to traditional instruments, the CJ approach allows test questions for any topic to be developed rapidly. In addition, CJ does not require a detailed rubric to represent conceptual understanding of a topic, as it is instead based on the collective knowledge of experts. In the current studies, we compared CJ to already established instruments to measure three topics in mathematics: understanding the use of p-values in statistics, understanding derivatives in calculus, and understanding the use of letters in algebra. The results showed that CJ was valid as compared to established instruments, and achieved high reliability. We conclude that CJ is a quick and efficient alternative method of measuring conceptual understanding in mathematics and could therefore be particularly useful in intervention studies

The contractile properties of fibroblasts derived from Dupuytren's nodules and cords and the effect of TGF-b stimulation.

Dupuytren's disease is a common fibroproliferative disorder with digital flexion deformities causing disability. Two forms are apparent clinically, nodules and cords. Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-b1) has been implicated in Dupuytren's disease development. Myofibroblasts are prevalent in nodules and may be the source of cell-mediated contraction, which combined with matrix remodelling causes tissue shortening. The hypothesis was that nodule and cord derived fibroblasts have differing contractile properties; have inherently altered tensional homeostasis and responses to mechanical stimuli. It was found that nodule cultures contained significantly greater numbers of myofibroblasts, identified using immunohistochemical staining, than cord or carpal ligament. A culture force monitor model was used to study the contractile properties of fibroblasts in culture. Mean peak force generated at 20hrs was significantly greater in nodule cells, than cord, whilst carpal ligament generated minimal force. There was a failure of force to plateau before 20hrs in Dupuytren's cells, possibly representing delayed tensional homeostasis. Responses to increased tension were investigated by subjecting gels to four uniaxial overloads. Dupuytren's cells, particularly nodule fibroblasts, exhibited an unexpected increased contractile response to the first overload. TGF-b1 stimulation caused a significant upregulation of myofibroblasts in Dupuytren's cells to 25%; it also caused an increase in contraction profiles, with elevated mean 20hr force. Greatest stimulation occurred early in contraction, 2hr gradients increasing by 250 % in nodule fibroblasts. After overloading greater contractile responses were observed in the first postoverload period and these persisted to subsequent overloads after TGF- b1 stimulation. Flexion deformities in Dupuytren's disease occur due to shortening of the affected matrix. The abnormal contractile properties and altered tensional homeostasis in resident cells that we have found may be central to this. TGF- b1 stimulation upregulated myofibroblast differentiation in Dupuytren's cells and exacerbated the abnormal contractile properties and responses to loading. Clinical relevance is discussed