Stazioni d'Italia. L'Italia unita dalle ferrovie: due momenti della costruzione del territorio nazionale

Si esaminano due momenti della storia d'Italia e si valuta il contributo dato dalle ferrovia alla costruzione prima dell'unità del paesa e poi a quello dell'Europa con le modifiche che apportano alle morfologie urban

An accessibility planning tool for network transit oriented development: SNAP

In the academic debate regarding the influences between urban form, built environment and travel patterns, a specific idea that has taken hold is that more compact urban development around railway stations, often referred to as Transit Oriented Development (TOD), contributes to the control of vehicle travel and to more sustainable metropolitan systems. According to this general principle this work proposes a GIS accessibility tool for the design of polycentric transit oriented scenario: SNAP - Station Network Accessibility Planning tool. In the first part the state of the art on Transit Oriented Development policies in Europe is presented with a focus on three study cases. In the second part the SNAP tool is described, with remarks to the approach, the methodology and the used indicators. Furthermore the paper discusses an application to the metropolitan area of Naples

Intracellular Ca2+ signalling: unexpected new roles for the usual suspect

Cytosolic Ca2+ signals are organized in complex spatial and temporal patterns that underlie their unique ability to regulate multiple cellular functions. Changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)) are finely tuned by the concerted interaction of membrane receptors and ion channels that introduce Ca2+ into the cytosol, Ca2+-dependent sensors and effectors that translate the elevation in [Ca2+](i) into a biological output, and Ca2+-clearing mechanisms that return the [Ca2+](i) to pre-stimulation levels and prevent cytotoxic Ca2+ overload. The assortment of the Ca2+ handling machinery varies among different cell types to generate intracellular Ca2+ signals that are selectively tailored to subserve specific functions. The advent of novel high-speed, 2D and 3D time-lapse imaging techniques, single-wavelength and genetic Ca2+ indicators, as well as the development of novel genetic engineering tools to manipulate single cells and whole animals, has shed novel light on the regulation of cellular activity by the Ca2+ handling machinery. A symposium organized within the framework of the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Italian Society of Physiology, held in Bari on 14-16th September 2022, has recently addressed many of the unexpected mechanisms whereby intracellular Ca2+ signalling regulates cellular fate in healthy and disease states. Herein, we present a report of this symposium, in which the following emerging topics were discussed: 1) Regulation of water reabsorption in the kidney by lysosomal Ca2+ release through Transient Receptor Potential Mucolipin 1 (TRPML1); 2) Endoplasmic reticulum-to-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer in Alzheimer's disease-related astroglial dysfunction; 3) The non-canonical role of TRP Melastatin 8 (TRPM8) as a Rap1A inhibitor in the definition of some cancer hallmarks; and 4) Non-genetic optical stimulation of Ca2+ signals in the cardiovascular system

Targeting Calcium Signalling in Malignant Mesothelioma

Calcium ions (Ca2+) are central in cancer development and growth, serving as a major signaling system determining the cell\u2019s fate. Therefore, the investigation of the functional roles of ion channels in cancer development may identify novel approaches for determining tumor prognosis. Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that develops from the serosal surface of the body, strictly related to asbestos exposure. The treatment of malignant mesothelioma is complex and the survival outcomes, rather than the overall survival data are, to date, disappointedly daunting. Nevertheless, conventional chemotherapy is almost ineffective. The alteration in the expression and/or activity of Ca2+ permeable ion channels seems to be characteristic of mesothelioma cells. In this review, we explore the involvement of the Ca2+toolkit in this disease. Moreover, the established sensitivity of some Ca2+channels to selective pharmacological modulators makes them interesting targets for mesothelioma cancer therapy

italian High‑Speed Railway Stations and the Attractivity Index: the Downscaling Potential to Implement Coworking as Service in Station

This article introduces a methodology to evidence the current attractiveness level of Italian high-speed railway stations in a GIS environment, involving station services and fow parameters. The model has been elevant to detect stations with lower attractive capacity, and afterward, to implement the station attractivity, the work proposed employing a coworking spaces strategy as a service in station. Coworking spaces produce enefts both for the traveler and the transport company. These places became part of the services ofered within railway stations since they are fow providers able to change appearance and idea of experience at station. In France, a coworking strategy has been created from the collaboration of Regus, leader company in coworking spaces supply, and the French railway group (SNCF). The Italian railway company (Ferrovie dello Stato) does not consider the attractiveness potential of coworking in the management of station resources; coworking spaces in Italy are placed outside stations. Accordingly, Torino Porta Susa station has been identifed as one of the stations with low attractivity capacity from the methodology implemented, and it has been chosen as the case study to implement the coworking strategy. The choice of Torino Porta Susa is accurate also for showing the value of associating coworking as urban policies support. The coworking strategy can implement attractiveness levels and, in a long-term future perspective, encourage sustainable mobility target

Ameliorating a Complex Urban Ecosystem Through Instrumental Use of Softscape Buffers: Proposal for a Green Infrastructure Network in the Metropolitan Area of Naples

Green Infrastructure (GI) definition, deriving from the United States green infrastructure for hydro-geological rebalancing through imitating the nature stormwater management, was consolidated in Europe by GI Planning Guide. Nowadays GI can be considered a valid and meaningful approach for ameliorating urban complex ecosystems, and could also be considered as mitigation action of land consumption, according to the guidelines on the soil sealing of the European Commission (2012). The metropolitan area of Naples located in south Italy is characterized by an unauthorized and chaotic urban development. The land-use map reported an average of 30% of urbanization in the metropolitan area, rising up to 50–60% and as high as 98% in the north core area of the city. This high level of urbanization is directly related to the habitat fragmentation. The National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy defines several challenges and targets to counteract the biodiversity loss in Italy, identifying urban areas as places exposed to the greatest pressures on ecosystems. Therefore, the integration of different policies limiting habitat fragmentation, heat island effect and natural soil hydro-geological degradation into spatial planning, especially through green corridors and ecosystem enhancement in urban areas is an urgent need for the society. Spatial planning has to be renewed in metropolitan areas, where threats and weaknesses to biodiversity conservation are stronger than in any other place, according to the Law n. 56/2014, (Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana, 2014) committing metropolitan cities to the enactment of General Territorial Plan. In the current paper, we aim at designing an ecological network for the metropolitan area of Naples one of the biggest city of southern Italy. The analyses include the adopted methodological procedure, i.e., ecological network analysis and design, and the introductory elements of a spatial analysis on a pilot ecological network of several patches. Finally, the paper illustrates the network analysis conceived as a monitoring system and also in future perspective, as a planning support system

The roles of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels and aberrant calcium signalling in blood-retinal barrier dysfunction

The inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB) protects the retinal vasculature from the peripheral circulation. Endothelial cells (ECs) are the core component of the iBRB; their close apposition and linkage via tight junctions limit the passage of fluids, proteins, and cells from the bloodstream to the parenchyma. Dysfunction of the iBRB is a hallmark of many retinal disorders. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been identified as the primary driver leading to a dysfunctional iBRB, thereby becoming the main target for therapy. However, a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying iBRB dysfunction is elusive and alternative therapeutic targets remain unexplored. Calcium is a universal cellular messenger whose homeostasis is dysregulated in many pathological disorders. Among the extensive components of the cellular calcium signalling toolkit, cation-selective transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are broadly involved in cell physiology and disease and, therefore, are widely studied as possible targets for therapy. Albeit that TRP channels have been discovered in the photoreceptors of Drosophila and have been studied in the neuroretina, not much is known about their expression and function in the iBRB. Within this article, we discuss the structure and functions of the iBRB with a particular focus on calcium signalling in retinal ECs and highlight the potential of TRP channels as new targets for retinal diseases

Efficiency Factors for Plastic Design in Concrete: Influence of Brittleness in Compression, High Tech Concrete: Where Technology and Engineering Meet

A large number of design approaches for structural concrete rely on the applicability of limit analysis. This is for instance the case of bending and shear design in members with transverse reinforcement, where it is assumed that plastic compression fields develop in the concrete. The behaviour of concrete in compression, however, cannot be directly assumed as perfectly plastic. In order to consistently apply limit analysis, the compressive strength of concrete is usually reduced by a number of strength reduction factors. In this paper, the factor accounting for the brittle behaviour of concrete in compression is reviewed. The aim is to assess the need for a brittleness factor when determining the capacity of concrete columns subjected to pure compression. Theoretically, the need for this factor is justified as a reinforced column is a composite system, where an interaction (redistribution of forces) potentially occurs amongst the longitudinal bars and the concrete as well as with the transverse (confinement) reinforcement. A total of 207 specimens from the scientific literature were considered in this research. They were all characterized by low slenderness (no second order effects) and presented variable concrete compressive strength (24 to 200 MPa), cross-section (square or circular), longitudinal reinforcement ratio (0.8 to 6.8 %), transverse reinforcement ratio (0.1 to 3.5 %), tie arrangement and spacing, yield strength of the longitudinal reinforcement (260 to 820 MPa) and yield strength of the transverse reinforcement (300 to 1000 MPa). Their compressive capacity was evaluated according to a rigid-plastic approach as well as to EN1992-1-1:2004. On that basis, a series of conclusions are drawn on the need for a brittleness factor