La didattica della Tecnologia dell'Architettura nella formazione dell'architetto

Lo scritto introduce il volume curato dagli autori che raccoglie i primi esiti di un osservatorio sulla didattica della Tecnologia dell'architettura avviato nel 2016 presso la Scuola di Architettura e Design "Eduardo Vittoria" di Ascoli Piceno e realizzato con il contributo di numerose sedi universitarie italiane

Root water conductivity of some herbaceous species.

In this study, the values of water conductivity of roots are reported for eleven crops and grapevine. For some crops, two methods (pressure chamber and transpiration method) were compared. The effects of salt and water stress were evaluated on different crops , as the effect of chloride mercury treatment, nitrogen deprivation and the interactive effects of salt, water, nitrogen and mercury stress. Root water conductivity was evaluated, for almost all the crops, during the whole plant cycles. The transpiration method always showed values of root water conductivity higher than the pressure chamber. In almost all the species, the mercury chloride reduced root water conductivity during all the plant cycle. Nitrogen deprivation and salt stress induced higher root water conductivity reduction than mercury stress. Water stress induced also a reduction but its effect on root water conductivity was lower than that of nitrogen and salt stress. Mercury chloride treatment did not show any effect on nitrogen and salt stressed plants, while in the water stressed plants its effect was additiv

Environmentally sensitive architectural projects: high quality, low cost, energy efficient social housing in different Italian climate zones

This paper aims at presenting the didactic experience of the Design Studio in Architectural Construction in the academic year 2012-2013 at the School of Architecture and Design “Eduardo Vittoria”, UNICAM, Italy. Second year students - with the support of teachers of ‘Technological Design Studio’ and ‘Environmental Control Systems’ - have been involved in a design exercise of a “high quality, low cost, energy efficient social housing in different Italian climate zones”. The primary objective of this Design Studio is to teach students an innovative environmental and responsible approach to the architectural design project. Students learn that the design choices have not only formal but also social, economical and mainly environmental implications and are invited to consciously and responsibly design as well as to evaluate the consequences of their design projects. In fact, in the contemporary world of crisis there is still no solution to global problems, but with an appropriate “environmental approach” it is possible to address daily challenges of the actual social and cultural conditions with the intent to redefine the environmental design ideals starting from the education of future designers

Friend erythroleukemia cells induce angiogenesis in chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane and in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

The effects of Friend erythroleukemia cells on angiogenesis were studied in chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assay and in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In chorioallantoic membrane assay, the conditioned medium of Friend cells stimulated in vivo angiogenesis to an extent comparable to that observed with Prostaglandin El, used as positive control. Prostaglandin El added to conditioned medium of Friend cells did not further increase angiogenesis. Conditioned medium of Friend erythroleukemia cells also stimulated proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to an extent comparable to that observed with fetal bovine serum, used as positive control. Conditioned medium and fetal bovine serum together did not affect human umbilical vein endothelial cells proliferation, as compared to that observed when tested separately. These results seem to indicate that Friend erythroleukemia cells produce and secrete factors stimulating angiogenesis. These findings extend and confirm the hypothesis that successful angiogenesis is necessary for development of leukemia

Effects of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage-activating factor on human breast cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Searching for additional therapeutic tools to fight breast cancer, we investigated the effects of vitamin D-binding protein-derived macrophage activating factor (DBP-MAF, also known as GcMAF) on a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of DBP-MAF on proliferation, morphology, vimentin expression and angiogenesis were studied by cell proliferation assay, phase-contrast microscopy, immunohistochemistry and western blotting, and chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. RESULTS: DBP-MAF inhibited human breast cancer cell proliferation and cancer cell-stimulated angiogenesis. MCF-7 cells treated with DBP-MAF predominantly grew in monolayer and appeared to be well adherent to each other and to the well surface. Exposure to DBP-MAF significantly reduced vimentin expression, indicating a reversal of the epithelial/mesenchymal transition, a hallmark of human breast cancer progression. CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the known anticancer efficacy of DBP-MAF can be ascribed to different biological properties of the molecule that include inhibition of tumour-induced angiogenesis and direct inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, migration and metastatic potential

ECOLOGIA E TECNOLOGIE DIGITALI. L’architettura alla piccola scala come luogo di connessioni ECOLOGY AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES. Small-scale architecture as a place of connections

Muovendo dalle relazioni tra tecnologie digitali e cultura ambientale, il saggio punta a delineare i contorni della nuova dimensione ecologica del progetto di architettura come luogo di connessioni multiple e interagenti in cui risolvere criticamente la dicotomia tra natura e cultura. Da questo punto di vista, l’architettura alla piccola scala rappresenta un promettente campo di sperimentazione in cui nuovi sistemi tecnologici, improntati a una maggiore efficienza delle soluzioni ecologiche, incontrano la gestione di cicli biologici e si integrano con essa. I processi industriali e di produzione, ripensati sulla base del paradigma della circolarità, si organizzano in maniera analoga a quella degli ecosistemi naturali riguardo all’uso di energia e di materiali, diventando un’opzione promettente per renderli più efficienti e sostenibili