Clinical Profile and Determinants of Mortality in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease Admitted for COVID-19.

BACKGROUND Concern has risen about the effects of COVID-19 in interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients. The aim of our study was to determine clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of ILD patients admitted for COVID-19. METHODS Ancillary analysis of an international, multicenter COVID-19 registry (HOPE: Health Outcome Predictive Evaluation) was performed. The subgroup of ILD patients was selected and compared with the rest of the cohort. RESULTS A total of 114 patients with ILDs were evaluated. Mean ± SD age was 72.4 ± 13.6 years, and 65.8% were men. ILD patients were older, had more comorbidities, received more home oxygen therapy and more frequently had respiratory failure upon admission than non-ILD patients (all p < 0.05). In laboratory findings, ILD patients more frequently had elevated LDH, C-reactive protein, and D-dimer levels (all p < 0.05). A multivariate analysis showed that chronic kidney disease and respiratory insufficiency on admission were predictors of ventilatory support, and that older age, kidney disease and elevated LDH were predictors of death. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that ILD patients admitted for COVID-19 are older, have more comorbidities, more frequently require ventilatory support and have higher mortality than those without ILDs. Older age, kidney disease and LDH were independent predictors of mortality in this population.S

Dry matter losses and methane emissions during wood chip storage: the impact on full life cycle greenhouse gas savings of short rotation coppice willow for heat

A life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used to examine the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy balance of short rotation coppice (SRC) willow for heat production. The modelled supply chain includes cutting multiplication, site establishment, maintenance, harvesting, storage, transport and combustion. The relative impacts of dry matter losses and methane emissions from chip storage were examined from a LCA perspective, comparing the GHG emissions from the SRC supply chain with those of natural gas for heat generation. The results show that SRC generally provides very high GHG emission savings of over 90 %. The LCA model estimates that a 1, 10 and 20 % loss of dry matter during storage causes a 1, 6 and 11 % increase in GHG emissions per MWh. The GHG emission results are extremely sensitive to emissions of methane from the wood chip stack: If 1 % of the carbon within the stack undergoes anaerobic decomposition to methane, then the GHG emissions per MWh are tripled. There are some uncertainties in the LCA results, regarding the true formation of methane in wood chip stacks, non-CO2 emissions from combustion, N2O emissions from leaf fall and the extent of carbon sequestered under the crop, and these all contribute a large proportion of the life cycle GHG emissions from cultivation of the cro

A multi-element psychosocial intervention for early psychosis (GET UP PIANO TRIAL) conducted in a catchment area of 10 million inhabitants: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial

Multi-element interventions for first-episode psychosis (FEP) are promising, but have mostly been conducted in non-epidemiologically representative samples, thereby raising the risk of underestimating the complexities involved in treating FEP in 'real-world' services

IL DISEGNO E L'INGEGNERE: BIM HANDBOOK FOR BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Chapter 18: Critical commentary analysis of interoperability challenge

GIANFREDA F, MANZONE F, TROIANO D (2015). Panel for Building: a new tipology of platform frame. TEMA, vol. 1,, p. 184-189, ISSN: 2421-4574

This paper describes the feasibility and engineering test made on the construction system patented with the name "Panel for Building". This panel is made of vertical and horizontal profiles in thin pre-formed sheet and two stiffening plasterboard slabs located on opposite sides of the structure. Panel for Building represents an innovation in platform frame structures, because it uses cheap and easily found components. Forth more the use of plasterboard slabs reduces the layers of the wall and improves overall performance. This system allows to construct high performance buildings by optimizing construction time

MANZONE F, SPAGNUOLO R (2015). Implementazione BIM per la progettazione operativa del cantiere. COSTRUZIONI METALLICHE, vol. SETT OTT 2015, p. 53-61, ISSN: 0010-9673

This paper describes the research work aimed at developing a methodology for the integration of the calculation of the assembly time for metal framework components in BIM planning, on the basis of the technical literature available. The incorporation of the method in Autodesk Revit will enable this calculation to take place in the BIM model directly, thus simplifying the operational planning process

OLIMPIADI TORINO 2006 - IMPIANTO PER LE COMPETIZIONI DI BOB, SLITTINO, SKELETON IN CESANA TORINESE

Un impianto per le competizioni di Bob, Slittino e Skeleton è imperniato sulla pista che per poter funzionare necessita di un complesso articolato di fabbricati, manufatti e infrastrutture a rete che formano un sistema integrato con il territorio, diverso e caratteristico per ogni sito olimpico e che quindi costituisce di volta in volta un prototipo sia per quanto riguarda la progettazione che la costruzione. Incidono in modo molto sensibile l'altitudine, le caratteristiche geo-morfologiche del pendio, l'esposizione solare, l'inserimento ambientale, l'accessibilità al sito. L'impianto Bob di CesanaTorinese proprio per questi motivi è tra i più compiessi al mondo, sia sotto il profilo tecnico che ambientale, ma anche il più interessante per la vastità e la complessità delle problematiche che si sono presentate sia nelle fasi di progettazione che di costruzione, e che hanno trovato soluzione in tempo reale, consentendo nell'arco di soli 14 mesi di raggiungere l'obiettivo di effettuare il Test-even

USE OF STAINLESS STEEL SLIP-RESISTANT CONNECTIONS in the renewal of the ventilated walls of the New Research Center at the Polytechnic Citadel

Different approaches, construction systems and use for two case studies that share the same ambition and nature of being prestigious projects, asked to become key elements in the urban texture, in which the facades play a key role to ensure reaching aesthetic and performance objectives. Manhattan Center is a refurbishment project which takes us through the various phases of a façade project, from the concept of façade systems and identification of performance requirements to the most advanced steps related to the detailed design, the realization and then mock-up and testing, construction and installation. Brighton University offers an example of façades made using dry construction technology with a strong prefabrication requirement applied to a complex of tall buildings characterized by a complex geometry. Architectural requirements, such as chromatic variations along the vertical elevation of the building and the need to use traditional materials such as clay and terracotta, determine specific construction solutions that are also dictated by the ability of the market to respond to these personalized requests

DESIGN ASSISTED BY LABORATORY TESTS OF STAINLESS STEEL STRUCTURES

The purpose of this work is to analyse how the concept of “design assisted by testing” has been applied to the re-functionalize plan of the façade’s stone cladding of the GMPT-E building, belong-ing to the Cittadella Politecnica, situated in Corso Castelfidardo n.36 in Turin. The construction of a new supporting substructure in stainless steel has been planned for the stone cladding in Balmoral red granite slabs. The proposal of this new structure is linked to the need to find a solution for the problem related to the imperfect flatness of the fixing surface. This type of coating, in fact, provides a very low tolerance, as the desired final effect is that of a perfectly flat granite surface. For this purpose, for the construction of the steel structure, slip-resistant connec-tions with slotted holes have been adopted and subjected to laboratory tests, in order to validate the assumptions made during the design phase. The aim of this work is to analyse this type of junctions, highlighting their ability to contain the slid-ing of the connected parts, aspect confirmed by the laboratory tests carried out