TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE AND CONTEXT-BASED APPROACH TO ANTI-SEISMIC RETROFITTING TECHNIQUES FOR VERNACULAR ADOBE BUILDINGS IN COLOMBIA

Abstract. In Colombia earthen buildings, mostly adobe, makes up 80% of the national monumental heritage and historic urban centres. Moreover, vernacular earthen techniques have been largely used for dwellings in rural villages, small towns or informal settlements and represent, nowadays, a huge architectural and cultural heritage of the country. Due the brittle behaviour and low ductility of the building material, characterized by both low tensile and bending strength, earth constructions show high seismic vulnerability; nevertheless, though Colombian earthquake hazard level is considered very high, current national seismic building regulations do not include any reference to earthen architecture. Seismic failure mechanisms most frequently occurring to masonry architecture, as adobe buildings rehabilitation techniques and seismic behaviour improvement practices, have been widely published. This paper aims to investigate possible causes associated to failure mechanisms due to common adobe building practices in Colombia and intervention strategies, to be eventually implemented in order to reduce risks. The paper focuses on strategies and technologies for seismic retrofitting, while evaluating their effectiveness and feasibility through 'sustainability' indicators, based on literature quantitative and qualitative data, and strictly related to rural Colombian economic, social and environmental conditions, where available resources are scarce and labour often not qualified

Enhancement of Bacillus thuringiensis toxicity by feeding Spodoptera littoralis larvae with bacteria expressing immune suppressive dsRNA

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Distribution of helminths in buffalo farms from central Italy

The aim of the present study was to obtain up-to-date information on the distribution of helminths in buffalo farms of central Italy. The survey was carried out on a sample of 127 farms (epidemiological units), selected using a grid approach within a Geographical Information System, followed by proportional allocation. In each farm the number of buffaloes tested (adults, heifer/steers and calves) ranged from 9 to 21 based on the number of animals on the farm. The total number of faecal samples collected from the 127 farms was 1883. Copromicroscopic examinations were performed using the FLOTAC technique. The following helminths were detected in the examined farms: gastrointestinal strongyles (33.1%), Strongyloides spp. (3.1%), Fasciola hepatica (7.1%), Dicrocoelium dendriticum (2.4%), Paramphistomidae (7.1%), and Moniezia spp. (2.4%)

Metagenomes in the borderline ecosystems of the Antarctic cryptoendolithic communities

Antarctic cryptoendolithic communities are microbial ecosystems dwelling inside rocks of the Antarctic desert. We present the first 18 shotgun metagenomes from these communities to further characterize their composition, biodiversity, functionality, and adaptation. Future studies will integrate taxonomic and functional annotations to examine the pathways necessary for life to evolve in the extreme

INSIG1 influences obesity-related hypertriglyceridemia in humans

In our analysis of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for plasma triglyceride (TG) levels [logarithm of odds (LOD) = 3.7] on human chromosome 7q36, we examined 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across INSIG1, a biological candidate gene in the region. Insulin-induced genes (INSIGs) are feedback mediators of cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis in animals, but their role in human lipid regulation is unclear. In our cohort, the INSIG1 promoter SNP rs2721 was associated with TG levels (P = 2 × 10−3 in 1,560 individuals of the original linkage cohort, P = 8 × 10−4 in 920 unrelated individuals of the replication cohort, combined P = 9.9 × 10−6). Individuals homozygous for the T allele had 9% higher TG levels and 2-fold lower expression of INSIG1 in surgical liver biopsy samples when compared with individuals homozygous for the G allele. Also, the T allele showed additional binding of nuclear proteins from HepG2 liver cells in gel shift assays. Finally, the variant rs7566605 in INSIG2, the only homolog of INSIG1, enhances the effect of rs2721 (P = 0.00117). The variant rs2721 alone explains 5.4% of the observed linkage in our cohort, suggesting that additional, yet-undiscovered genes and sequence variants in the QTL interval also contribute to alterations in TG levels in humans

Animals-assisted therapy: A brief review

In rehabilitative setting, the presence of animals can be considered as an important stimulus for verbal and social communication, and for mood regulation. Interaction with an animal is beneficial for children's development and numerous psychological tests have revealed that growing up with pets has a beneficial effect on children's self-esteem and self-confidence, can improve empathy, a sense of responsibility and cognitive development, as well as social status within the peer group

Screening of fungal strains for cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities production and evaluation of brewers’ spent grain as substrate for enzyme production by selected fungi

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG), the solid residue of beer production, is attracting significant attention as raw material for the production of added value substances, since until recently it was mainly used as animal feed or deposited in landfills, causing serious environmental problems. Therefore, this work aimed at developing a bioprocess using BSG as a substrate for the production of cellulases and xylanases for waste saccharification and bioenergy production. Different fungi were analyzed for their cellulolytic and xylanolytic abilities, through a first screening on solid media by assessment of fungal growth and enzyme production on agar containing carboxylmethylcellulose or xylan as the sole carbon source, respectively. The best cellulase and xylanase producers were subjected to quantitative evaluation of enzyme production in liquid cultures. Aspergillus niger LPB-334 was selected for its ability to produce cellulase and xylanase at high levels and it was cultivated on BSG by solid state fermentation. The cellulase production reached a maximum of 118.04 8.4 U/g of dry substrate after 10 days of fermentation, while a maximum xylanase production of 1315.15 37.5 U/g of dry substrate was reached after 4 days. Preliminary characterization of cellulase and xylanase activities and identification of the enzymes responsible were carried out