Dystopian transition?

The need for reducing carbon emissions and tackling the climate crisis has prompted urban regeneration initiatives that propose visions of more sustainable futures for urban environments supplied with renewable energy generated locally. With the increasing electrification of heating and transport, raising the electricity demand in cities, distributed energy generation from renewable sources in built environments becomes even more appealing. Showing great potential for integration into building roofs and vertical facades, photovoltaic technology can contribute to the green transition. However, a closer look at the changing image of cities driven by an energy focus may reveal negative impacts on local communities.This article examines the issue of urban regeneration for the renewable energy transition with attention to how its potential effects on the quality of public spaces can offer a dystopian future. Through a reflection on existing literature and case studies, the article considers how new or retrofitted facades designed to improve the energy performance of buildings or supply these with renewable energy may deprive urban spaces of their character. It explores how energy-focused renovations can negatively affect a sense of place, harming vulnerable population segments and exacerbating social disparity. The article sheds light on the hiatus between the ongoing transformation of cities and the idea of urban regeneration benefitting local communities. It proposes to challenge technocratic urban dystopias and explore a bottom-up approach to reshaping the image of cities for the implementation of renewable energy solutions. The approach should be attentive to the perceptions and needs of local communities. It should be considerate of their attachment to places as well as their needs for expression and interaction with the environments they live in. It should fully engage local communities in informing the transformation of their cities

From flora to solar adaptive facades: Integrating plant-inspired design with photovoltaic technologies

Recognizing the significance of solar energy as a vital renewable energy source in building envelope design is becoming more and more important and needs urgent attention. Exploring solar adaptation strategies found in plants offers a wide range of effective design possibilities that can substantially improve building performance. Thus, integrating solar technologies with biomimetic solar adaptive solutions could establish a suitable combination towards a sustainable design. In this context, this study follows an interdisciplinary approach to provide a link between plants’ solar adaptation strategies, building integrated photovoltaics and building envelope design. To do so, a framework has been presented using data synthesis and classification to support the potential integration of three photovoltaic (PV) technologies with plant-inspired building envelope design, facilitating a harmonizing approach between biomimetic design and the application of photovoltaic technologies in buildings

Wearable and interactive mixed reality solutions for fault diagnosis and assistance in manufacturing systems: Implementation and testing in an aseptic bottling line

Abstract Thanks to the spread of technologies stemming from the fourth industrial revolution, also the topic of fault diagnosis and assistance in industrial contexts has benefited. Indeed, several smart tools were developed for assisting with maintenance and troubleshooting, without interfering with operations and facilitating tasks. In line with that, the present manuscript aims at presenting a web smart solution with two possible applications installed on an Android smartphone and Microsoft HoloLens. The solution aims at alerting the operators when an alarm occurs on a machine through notifications, and then at providing the instructions needed for solving the alarm detected. The two devices were tested by the operators of an industrial aseptic bottling line consisting of five machines in real working conditions. The usability of both devices was positively rated by these users based on the System Usability Scale (SUS) and additional appropriate statements. Moreover, the in situ application brought out the main difficulties and interesting issues for the practical implementation of the solutions tested

Subcutaneous Ticks in Wild Carnivores: Any Host-Related Differences?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Ticks are obligate parasites living part of their life attached on the skin surface of different mammal species. In the last decades, there have been several reports of ticks found dead underneath the skin of foxes, raccoon dogs, golden jackals, domestic dogs, and a human being. The biological reasons behind this phenomenon are still unclear, although most of the reports are in canid species, suggesting that the immunological response of canids might favor it. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of ticks under the skin of different wild carnivore species in Northwestern Italy, where they have never been described before. Out of 63 wild carnivores, 11 foxes were found infested with 51 dead ticks under the skin of the animals. All the preserved ticks collected underneath the skin of the foxes were identified as Ixodes spp., meaning that this tick species might be more frequently involved in the phenomenon, as already suggested by the scientific community. By contrast, no subcutaneous ticks were found in wolves, the other most prevalent wild canid species in Northwestern Italy, supporting the idea that the immune reaction of wolves may not favor the embedment of ticks underneath the skin. ABSTRACT: Ticks under the skin have been shown in different canid species such as red fox, domestic dog, and raccoon dog. Despite being increasingly reported in Europe in the last decade, the biological mechanisms associated to subcutaneous ticks (SCT), as well as the predisposing factors, are not yet clear. The main goal of this study was to investigate the presence of SCT in wild carnivores in Northwestern Italy. Sixty-three wild carnivores were examined, and SCT were submitted to histological examination or stored in ethanol for morphological and molecular identification. A portion of the cox1 gene and 16S rDNA were amplified, and positive PCR products were sequenced. Fifty-one small brown-coloured nodules of about 2 × 3 mm containing ticks in different decomposition stages were observed in 11 out of 30 foxes. Seven ticks were classified as Ixodes ricinus, while 14 ticks were determined only at the genus level (Ixodes spp.), and in two ticks no morphological key was applicable due to the advanced degradation status. By PCR, the rDNA fragment of six ticks (26.1%, 95% CI: 12.6–46.5%) was amplified, and BLAST analysis revealed a 99–100% nucleotide similarity to I. ricinus. At the histological examination, the inflammatory response varied from a mild to a moderate mixed infiltrate, primarily composed by neutrophils and lymphocytes. The results of this study confirm foxes as the main wild reservoir for SCT. The absence of SCT in other carnivores (badgers and martens) is in accordance with other studies. Ixodes ricinus is the most frequently reported tick species, corroborating the idea that longirostral ticks might be more frequently associated to SC embedment than brevirostral ticks

SARS-CoV-2 infection. The environmental endurance of the virus can be influenced by the increase of temperature

Objectives: To evaluate whether the increase of temperature can influence the environmental endurance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods: Virus was inoculated on a plastic surface and harvested at predefined time-points in parallel at 20°C–25°C (room temperature; RT) and at 28°C (June temperature; JT). Samples were tested by TCID50 titres on Vero cells. Results: Our results confirm that fomite transmission of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 is possible: the virus reserved its ability to infect cells for up to 84 hours at both RT and JT on a plastic surface, with TCID50 viral titres of 0.67 and 0.25 log10, respectively. At RT, an important reduction in the viral titre, from 4 log10 to 3 log10 TCID50, was observed during the first 24–36 hours. At JT, the same decay was observed more rapidly (between 8 and 12 hours), The rate of viral inactivation by D-value was 24.74 hours at RT and 12.21 hours at JT. Conclusions: This remarkable difference between the two temperatures suggests that virus vitality can be influenced by the environmental temperature and that the hot season could reduce the probability of COVID-19 transmission

I.S.Mu.L.T - Rotator cuff tears guidelines

Despite the high level achieved in the field of shoulder surgery, a global consensus on rotator cuff tears management is lacking. This work is divided into two main sessions: in the first, we set questions about hot topics involved in the rotator cuff tears, from the etiopathogenesis to the surgical treatment. In the second, we answered these questions by mentioning Evidence Based Medicine. The aim of the present work is to provide easily accessible guidelines: they could be considered as recommendations for a good clinical practice developed through a process of systematic review of the literature and expert opinion, in order to improve the quality of care and rationalize the use of resources

Genetic variants associated with gastrointestinal symptoms in Fabry disease.

Gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) are often among the earliest presenting events in Fabry disease (FD), an X-linked lysosomal disorder caused by the deficiency of α-galactosidase A. Despite recent advances in clinical and molecular characterization of FD, the pathophysiology of the GIS is still poorly understood. To shed light either on differential clinical presentation or on intervariability of GIS in FD, we genotyped 1936 genetic markers across 231 genes that encode for drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transport proteins in 49 FD patients, using the DMET Plus platform. All nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) mapped within four genes showed statistically significant differences in genotype frequencies between FD patients who experienced GIS and patients without GIS: ABCB11 (odd ratio (OR) = 18.07, P = 0,0019; OR = 8.21, P = 0,0083; OR=8.21, P = 0,0083; OR = 8.21, P = 0,0083),SLCO1B1 (OR = 9.23, P = 0,0065; OR = 5.08, P = 0,0289; OR = 8.21, P = 0,0083), NR1I3 (OR = 5.40, P = 0,0191) and ABCC5 (OR = 14.44, P = 0,0060). This is the first study that investigates the relationships between genetic heterogeneity in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) related genes and GIS in FD. Our findings provide a novel genetic variant framework which warrants further investigation for precision medicine in FD

Perinatal Stress Programs Sex Differences in the Behavioral and Molecular Chronobiological Profile of Rats Maintained Under a 12-h Light-Dark Cycle

Stress and the circadian systems play a major role in an organism’s adaptation to environmental changes. The adaptive value of the stress system is reactive while that of the circadian system is predictive. Dysfunctions in these two systems may account for many clinically relevant disorders. Despite the evidence that interindividual differences in stress sensitivity and in the functioning of the circadian system are related, there is limited integrated research on these topics. Moreover, sex differences in these systems are poorly investigated. We used the perinatal stress (PRS) rat model, a well-characterized model of maladaptive programming of reactive and predictive adaptation, to monitor the running wheel behavior in male and female adult PRS rats, under a normal light/dark cycle as well as in response to a chronobiological stressor (6-h phase advance/shift). We then analyzed across different time points the expression of genes involved in circadian clocks, stress response, signaling, and glucose metabolism regulation in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). In the unstressed control group, we found a sex-specific profile that was either enhanced or inverted by PRS. Also, PRS disrupted circadian wheel-running behavior by inducing a phase advance in the activity of males and hypoactivity in females and increased vulnerability to chronobiological stress in both sexes. We also observed oscillations of several genes in the SCN of the unstressed group in both sexes. PRS affected males to greater extent than females, with PRS males displaying a pattern similar to unstressed females. Altogether, our findings provide evidence for a specific profile of dysmasculinization induced by PRS at the behavioral and molecular level, thus advocating the necessity to include sex as a biological variable to study the set-up of circadian system in animal models

Molecular signaling mediating the protective effect of A1 adenosine and mGluR3 metabotropic glutamate receptor activation against apoptosis by oxygen/glucose deprivation in cultured astrocytes. Mol Pharmacol 71

ABSTRACT Astrocyte death may occur in neurodegenerative disorders and complicates the outcome of brain ischemia, a condition associated with high extracellular levels of adenosine and glutamate. We show that pharmacological activation of A 1 adenosine and mGlu3 metabotropic glutamate receptors with N 6 -chlorocyclopentyladenosine (CCPA) and (Ϫ)2-oxa-4-aminocyclo-[3.1.0]hexane-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (LY379268), respectively, protects cultured astrocytes against apoptosis induced by a 3-h exposure to oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD). Protection by CCPA and LY379268 was less than additive and was abrogated by receptor blockade with selective competitive antagonists or pertussis toxin. Both in control astrocytes and in astrocytes exposed to OGD, CCPA and LY379268 induced a rapid activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, which are known to support cell survival. In cultures exposed to OGD, CCPA and LY379268 reduced the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38/MAPK, reduced the levels of the proapoptotic protein Bad, increased the levels of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-X L , and were highly protective against apoptotic death, as shown by nuclear 4Ј-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and measurements of caspase-3 activity. All of these effects were attenuated by treatment with 1,4-diamino-2,3-dicyano-1,4-bis(methylthio)butadiene (U0126) and 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-1(4H)-benzopyran-4-one hydrochloride (LY294002), which inhibit the MAPK and the PI3K pathways, respectively. These data suggest that pharmacological activation of A 1 and mGlu3 receptors protects astrocytes against hypoxic/ischemic damage by stimulating the PI3K and ERK1/2 MAPK pathways. Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell types in the brain, provide metabolic and trophic support to neurons by several mechanisms that include the clearance of ions and environmental toxins, the supply of energy substrates, and the production of trophic factors, and modulate synaptic activity Recent studies have shown that ischemic and inflammatory insults induce astrocyte apoptotic death, and this contributes to the pathophysiology of short-and long-term neurodegenerative disorder