Interdisciplinary and International Workshop as Technological Design Method Focused on the European Ods Strategy

The innovative rules of the Europe 2020 Strategy, which follow the Lisbon Strategy (2000) and the Copenhagen Declaration (2002), promote smart and sustainable growth through the promotion of lowpollutant, resource-efficient and effective project strategies for improving human, social and environmental conditions. This paper illustrates the workshop design experience conducted in collaboration between the Escuela Superior de Edificacion (ETSEM) of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, the Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering (DICEA) of Università di Napoli "Federico II" and the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design (DADI) of Università della Campania "L. Vanvitelli", focusing on the added value for the three research groups to integrate different teaching methods according that strategies

Are Goods for Guns Good for the Community? An Update of a Community Gun Buyback Program

BACKGROUND: Gun violence remains a leading cause of death in the United States. Community gun buyback programs provide an opportunity to dispose of extraneous firearms. The purpose of this study was to understand the demographics, motivation, child access to firearms and household mental illness of buyback participants in hopes of improving the program\u27s effectiveness. METHODS: A 2015 Injury Free Coalition for Kids gun buyback program which collaborated with local police departments was studied. We administered a 23-item questionnaire survey to gun buyback participants assessing demographic characteristics, motivation for relinquishing firearms, child firearm accessibility, and mental illness/domestic violence history. RESULTS: A total of 186 individuals from Central/Western Massachusetts turned in 339 weapons. Participants received between $25 and$75 in gift cards dependent on what type of gun was turned in, with an average cost of $41/gun. A total of 109 participants (59%) completed the survey. Respondents were mostly white (99%), male (90%) and first-time participants in the program (85.2%). Among survey respondents, 54% turned in firearms for safety reasons . Respondents reported no longer needing/wanting their weapons (47%) and approximately one in eight participants were concerned the firearm(s) were accessible to children. Most respondents (87%) felt the program encouraged neighborhood awareness of firearm safety. Three out of every five participants reported that guns still remained in their homes, additionally; 21% where children could potentially access them and 14% with a history of mental illness/suicide/domestic violence in the home. CONCLUSIONS: Gun buybacks can provide a low-cost means of removing unwanted firearms from the community. Most participants felt their homes were safer after turning in the firearm(s). In homes still possessing guns, emphasis on secure gun storage should continue increasing the safety of children and families. The results of this survey also provided new insights into the association between mental illness/suicide and gun ownership. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, Prognostic and Epidemiological

Glycogen storage disease type III: A novel Agl knockout mouse model

AbstractGlycogen storage disease type III is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a deficiency in the glycogen debranching enzyme, encoded by AGL. Essential features of this disease are hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and growth retardation. Progressive skeletal myopathy, neuropathy, and/or cardiomyopathy become prominent in adults. Currently, there is no available cure. We generated an Agl knockout mouse model by deletion of the carboxy terminus of the protein, including the carboxy end of the glucosidase domain and the glycogen-binding domain. Agl knockout mice presented serious hepatomegaly, but we did not observe signs of cirrhosis or adenomas. In affected tissues, glycogen storage was higher than in wild-type mice, even in the central nervous system which has never been tested in GSDIII patients. The biochemical findings were in accordance with histological data, which clearly documented tissue impairment due to glycogen accumulation. Indeed, electron microscopy revealed the disruption of contractile units due to glycogen infiltrations. Furthermore, adult Agl knockout animals appeared less prompt to move, and they exhibited kyphosis. Three-mo-old Agl knockout mice could not run, and adult mice showed exercise intolerance. In addition, older affected animals exhibited an accelerated respiratory rate even at basal conditions. This observation was correlated with severe glycogen accumulation in the diaphragm. Diffuse glycogen deposition was observed in the tongues of affected mice. Our results demonstrate that this Agl knockout mouse is a reliable model for human glycogenosis type III, as it recapitulates the essential phenotypic features of the disease

Male carriers of HLA-C*04:01 have increased risk of cardiac injury in COVID-19

Identification of factors that lead to the severe clinical course of COVID-19 is crucial for timely allocation of resources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible sex differences in cardiac injury associated with HLA-C*04:01. High sensitivity troponin T on admission (hs-TnTa) and maximum high sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnTmax) were used to assess for cardiac injury in patients with COVID-19 (n = 435). We tested for the association of elevated hs-TnT with HLA-C* 04:01 and evaluated for potential sex-specific differences. An association between hs-TnTa and the severity of clinical course was identified. In addition, our study revealed that hs-TnTmax was higher in men who were carriers of HLA-C*04:01 compared to men without the risk allele. Male carriers of HLA-C*04:01 with COVID-19 developed higher hs-TnTmax, suggesting a larger extent of cardiac injury. This association suggests the presence of different pathomechanisms in COVID-19 based on sex

Telethon Network of Genetic Biobanks: a key service for diagnosis and research on rare diseases

Several examples have always illustrated how access to large numbers of biospecimens and associated data plays a pivotal role in the identification of disease genes and the development of pharmaceuticals. Hence, allowing researchers to access to significant numbers of quality samples and data, genetic biobanks are a powerful tool in basic, translational and clinical research into rare diseases. Recently demand for well-annotated and properly-preserved specimens is growing at a high rate, and is expected to grow for years to come. The best effective solution to this issue is to enhance the potentialities of well-managed biobanks by building a network.Here we report a 5-year experience of the Telethon Network of Genetic Biobanks (TNGB), a non-profit association of Italian repositories created in 2008 to form a virtually unique catalogue of biospecimens and associated data, which presently lists more than 750 rare genetic defects. The process of TNGB harmonisation has been mainly achieved through the adoption of a unique, centrally coordinated, IT infrastructure, which has enabled (i) standardisation of all the TNGB procedures and activities; (ii) creation of an updated TNGB online catalogue, based on minimal data set and controlled terminologies; (iii) sample access policy managed via a shared request control panel at web portal. TNGB has been engaged in disseminating information on its services into both scientific/biomedical - national and international - contexts, as well as associations of patients and families. Indeed, during the last 5-years national and international scientists extensively used the TNGB with different purposes resulting in more than 250 scientific publications. In addition, since its inception the TNGB is an associated member of the Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure and recently joined the EuroBioBank network. Moreover, the involvement of patients and families, leading to the formalization of various agreements between TNGB and Patients' Associations, has demonstrated how promoting Biobank services can be instrumental in gaining a critical mass of samples essential for research, as well as, raising awareness, trust and interest of the general public in Biobanks. This article focuses on some fundamental aspects of networking and demonstrates how the translational research benefits from a sustained infrastructure

Il riuso della acque montane nelle Terme di Montecorvino Pugliano

Nella proposta progettuale l’uso dell’acqua è elemento caratterizzante dal punto di vista sia formale che funzionale secondo un approccio sostenibile che mira ad utilizzare e valorizzare la risorsa. In particolare sono state elaborate soluzioni progettuali per la raccolta ed il riciclo dell’acqua da destinarsi all’irrigazione del verde e dei tetti giardino e dei servizi. L’acqua domina negli spazi aperti dove contribuisce al controllo del microclima mediante canali e pareti d’acqua

Inquinamento: porti e coste

Rivista La Termotecnica – Novembre 2007 – Anno LXI n.

INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP AS TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGN METHOD FOCUSED ON THE EUROPEAN ODS STRATEGY

The paper illustrates the workshop design experience conducted in collaboration between the Escuela Superior de Edificacion (ETSEM) of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, the Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering (DICEA) of Università di Napoli "Federico II" and the Department of Architecture and Industrial Design (DADI) of Università della Campania "L. Vanvitelli", focusing on the added value for the three research groups to integrate different teaching methods. The training activity has been designed according to the innovative rules of the Europe 2020 Strategy, which follows the Lisbon Strategy (2000) and the Copenhagen Declaration (2002). It promotes smart and sustainable growth through the promotion of low-pollutant, resource-efficient and effective project strategies for improving human, social and environmental conditions. From a didactic point of view, the shift of attention from the teaching process to the learning process enhances the didactic experience of the Design Workshop as a tool for dynamic and proactive comparison: in a very short time (3 days), the main challenge was to move from the phase of constructive, functional, energy and structural knowledge of the building to the focus on strengths and weaknesses, in order to elaborate a meta-design based on real data, complex evaluations and needs gained through direct interviews in the field. The three research groups transferred to the students not so much specific knowledge on the topics: design, construction, energy and structures, but rather the method of expeditious specialized analysis that allowed the students to produce meaningful project proposals based on the process of integrated knowledge of the case study. The contribution will illustrate the different methodologies and results produced