La Geometria come filo di Arianna: note di approfondimento sul rapporto ideazione-costruzione della più grande cupola di forma ovata del mondo

La cupola del Santuario di Vicoforte in Piemonte costituisce un'opera di particolare complessità costruttiva sia per le sue dimensioni sia per la sua forma: è infatti la più grande cupola ovata in muratura nel mondo. Questo studio riguarda la genesi geometrica della costruzione delle cupola, ed evidenzia che la cupola costruita è, da un punto di vista dei parametri geometrici, alquanto diversa da quella disegnata nei progetti. La ricerca è focalizzata sull'analisi geometrica delle sezioni verticali della cupola, al fine indagare il profilo delle centine usate nella costruzione. I risultati possono consentire una più attillata definizione dei modelli di simulazione del comportamento strutturale e sismico che sono necessari per la conservazione dell'integrità del manufatto. The dome of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, the largest oval masonry dome in the world, is an exceptional expression of building technique for its shape and dimension. This study wants to add information about the geometrical conception of the dome using the modern modeling possibilities based on recent laser scanner survey. In particular it integrates the analysis of the archival drawings and the 3D survey of the dome in order to investigate the geometrical shape of the temporary centrings used in the dome construction. Improving the knowledge about the tridimensional shape and the construction techniques of such dome is of crucial importance at the moment, because the Sanctuary is the subject of a structural monitoring and research campaign due to the important settlements and cracking fenomena that affect the buildin

La Geometria come filo di Arianna: note di approfondimento sul rapporto ideazione-costruzione della più grande cupola di forma ovata del mondo

La cupola del Santuario di Vicoforte in Piemonte costituisce un’opera di particolare complessità costruttiva sia per le sue dimensioni sia per la sua forma: è infatti la più grande cupola ovata in muratura nel mondo. Questo studio riguarda la genesi geometrica della costruzione delle cupola, ed evidenzia che la cupola costruita è, da un punto di vista dei parametri geometrici, alquanto diversa da quella disegnata nei progetti. La ricerca è focalizzata sull’analisi geometrica delle sezioni verticali della cupola, al fine indagare il profilo delle centine usate nella costruzione. I risultati possono consentire una più attillata definizione dei modelli di simulazione del comportamento strutturale e sismico che sono necessari per la conservazione dell’integrità del manufatto. The dome of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, the largest oval masonry dome in the world, is an exceptional expression of building technique for its shape and dimension. This study wants to add information about the geometrical conception of the dome using the modern modeling possibilities based on recent laser scanner survey. In particular it integrates the analysis of the archival drawings and the 3D survey of the dome in order to investigate the geometrical shape of the temporary centrings used in the dome construction. Improving the knowledge about the tridimensional shape and the construction techniques of such dome is of crucial importance at the moment, because the Sanctuary is the subject of a structural monitoring and research campaign due to the important settlements and cracking fenomena that affect the buildin

Measurement invariance of TGMD-3 in children with and without mental and behavioral disorders

This study evaluated whether the Test of Gross Motor Development 3 (TGMD-3) is a reliable tool to compare children with and without mental and behavioural disorders across gross motor skill domains. A total of 1075 children (aged 3-11 years), 98 with mental and behavioural disorders and 977 without (typically developing), were included in the analyses. The TGMD-3 evaluates fundamental gross motor skills of children across two domains: locomotor skills and ball skills. Two independent testers simultaneously observed children’s performances (agreement over 95%). Each child completed one practice and then two formal trials. Scores were recorded only during the two formal trials. Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis tested the assumption of TGMD-3 measurement invariance across disability groups. According to the magnitude of changes in Root Mean Square Error of Approximation and Comparative Fit Index between nested models, the assumption of measurement invariance across groups was valid. Loadings of the manifest indicators on locomotor and ball skills were significant (p < .001) in both groups. Item Response Theory analysis showed good reliability results across locomotor and the ball skills full latent traits. The present study confirmed the factorial structure of TGMD-3 and demonstrated its feasibility across normally developing children and children with mental and behavioural disorders. These findings provide new opportunities for understanding the effect of specific intervention strategies on this population

Mixture Risk Assessment of Complex Real-Life Mixtures—The PANORAMIX Project

Humans are involuntarily exposed to hundreds of chemicals that either contaminate our environment and food or are added intentionally to our daily products. These complex mixtures of chemicals may pose a risk to human health. One of the goals of the European Union’s Green Deal and zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment is to tackle the existent gaps in chemical mixture risk assessment by providing scientific grounds that support the implementation of adequate regulatory measures within the EU. We suggest dealing with this challenge by: (1) characterising ‘real-life’ chemical mixtures and determining to what extent they are transferred from the environment to humans via food and water, and from the mother to the foetus; (2) establishing a high-throughput whole-mixture-based in vitro strategy for screening of real-life complex mixtures of organic chemicals extracted from humans using integrated chemical profiling (suspect screening) together with effect-directed analysis; (3) evaluating which human blood levels of chemical mixtures might be of concern for children’s development; and (4) developing a web-based, ready-to-use interface that integrates hazard and exposure data to enable component-based mixture risk estimation. These concepts form the basis of the Green Deal project PANORAMIX, whose ultimate goal is to progress mixture risk assessment of chemicals.Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the Green Deal project PANORAMIX Grant Agreement No. 10103663

Report of the First ONTOX Stakeholder Network Meeting: Digging Under the Surface of ONTOX Together With the Stakeholders

The first Stakeholder Network Meeting of the EU Horizon 2020-funded ONTOX project was held on 13–14 March 2023, in Brussels, Belgium. The discussion centred around identifying specific challenges, barriers and drivers in relation to the implementation of non-animal new approach methodologies (NAMs) and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), in order to help address the issues and rank them according to their associated level of difficulty. ONTOX aims to advance the assessment of chemical risk to humans, without the use of animal testing, by developing non-animal NAMs and PRA in line with 21st century toxicity testing principles. Stakeholder groups (regulatory authorities, companies, academia, non-governmental organisations) were identified and invited to participate in a meeting and a survey, by which their current position in relation to the implementation of NAMs and PRA was ascertained, as well as specific challenges and drivers highlighted. The survey analysis revealed areas of agreement and disagreement among stakeholders on topics such as capacity building, sustainability, regulatory acceptance, validation of adverse outcome pathways, acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI) in risk assessment, and guaranteeing consumer safety. The stakeholder network meeting resulted in the identification of barriers, drivers and specific challenges that need to be addressed. Breakout groups discussed topics such as hazard versus risk assessment, future reliance on AI and machine learning, regulatory requirements for industry and sustainability of the ONTOX Hub platform. The outputs from these discussions provided insights for overcoming barriers and leveraging drivers for implementing NAMs and PRA. It was concluded that there is a continued need for stakeholder engagement, including the organisation of a ‘hackathon’ to tackle challenges, to ensure the successful implementation of NAMs and PRA in chemical risk assessment

Insights into household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from a population-based serological survey

Understanding the risk of infection from household- and community-exposures and the transmissibility of asymptomatic infections is critical to SARS-CoV-2 control. Limited previous evidence is based primarily on virologic testing, which disproportionately misses mild and asymptomatic infections. Serologic measures are more likely to capture all previously infected individuals. We apply household transmission models to data from a cross-sectional, household-based population serosurvey of 4,534 people ≥5 years from 2,267 households enrolled April-June 2020 in Geneva, Switzerland. We found that the risk of infection from exposure to a single infected household member aged ≥5 years (17.3%,13.7-21.7) was more than three-times that of extra-household exposures over the first pandemic wave (5.1%,4.5-5.8). Young children had a lower risk of infection from household members. Working-age adults had the highest extra-household infection risk. Seropositive asymptomatic household members had 69.4% lower odds (95%CrI,31.8-88.8%) of infecting another household member compared to those reporting symptoms, accounting for 14.5% (95%CrI, 7.2-22.7%) of all household infections

The design of the dome of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte (Piedmont, Italy) among idea, geometry and construction practices: researches on the shape and the size of the largest oval dome in the world

The largest oval masonry dome that nowadays exists in Europe, the Sanctuary of Vicoforte in Piedmont, is constantly monitored in order to control the deformation of the building. But what is the real shape of the dome? To understand the exceptionality of this cultural heritage, the science of representation adopted tools, conventions, codes and signs focused on the analysis of issues that are historical and contemporary, structural and functional, symbolic and formal. The common definition of "oval" given to the dome (sometimes called "elliptical") is somewhat approximate. The shape is actually more complex. In the past, several schemes have been proposed , whose validity is verified for only a few horizontal and vertical sections. Analysis of the complex three-dimensional geometry are needed in order to compare archival drawings with the most recent studies and results of the recent survey. The paper will highlight how the use of three-dimensional modeling could allow a renewed reading of the dome's geometry, with the aim of providing schemes of interpretation to support the analysis of construction and structural behavior. The originality consists in the process of three-dimensional analysis aimed at defining the true shape of domes that are commonly called "oval" or "elliptical", but that actually have more complex configurations due to construction techniques. The study will regard the following themes: the critical analysis of some design drawings for the sanctuary of Vicoforte and reading of its territorial relevance, the analysis of different geometric models historically proposed for the dome of Vicoforte compared to the modern three-dimensional survey, the analysis of the design drawings, that describe the ribs of the dome used for its construction, to obtain a 3D model of the dom

A psychometric analysis of the Daily Drinking Questionnaire in a nationally representative sample of young adults from a Mediterranean drinking culture

Aims: To examine psychometric properties of the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ) in a Mediterranean “wet” drinking culture. Methods: Three studies were conducted using random samples drawn from a representative sample of Italian young adults (N¼5,955; females ¼ 62%; mean age ¼ 27): Study 1 explored the factorial structure of weekly alcohol consumption; in Study 2 multi-group confirmatory factor analysis tested measurement invariance across gender; Study 3 applied item response theory analysis to: a) assess how each item discriminated between different alcohol consumption levels; and b) determine if drink propensity on a given day of the week varied according to individual characteristics. Results: In Study 1, a one-factor solution with no clear differentiation between weekdays and weekend alcohol use was found. Study 2 confirmed measurement invariance of the onefactor solution across gender. Results of Study 3 indicated that alcohol use on weekdays (Monday to Thursday) provided more information on overall alcohol consumption than alcohol use on weekends (Friday to Sunday). Discussion: Cultural differences of alcohol use are reflected in relatively simple alcohol measures, such as the DDQ. In contrast with peers from “dry” drinking cultures, Italian young women and men do not clearly differentiate between weekdays and weekend drinking. In Italy, the DDQ best captures participants’ average alcohol consumption levels rather than light or heavy, and should be used in national epidemiological research accordingly

The design of the dome of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte (Piedmont, Italy) among idea, geometry and construction practices: researches on the shape and the size of the largest oval dome in the world

The largest oval masonry dome that nowadays exists in Europe, the Sanctuary of Vicoforte in Piedmont, is constantly monitored in order to control the deformation of the building. But what is the real shape of the dome? To understand the exceptionality of this cultural heritage, the science of representation adopted tools, conventions, codes and signs focused on the analysis of issues that are historical and contemporary, structural and functional, symbolic and formal. The common definition of "oval" given to the dome (sometimes called "elliptical") is somewhat approximate. The shape is actually more complex. In the past, several schemes have been proposed , whose validity is verified for only a few horizontal and vertical sections. Analysis of the complex three-dimensional geometry are needed in order to compare archival drawings with the most recent studies and results of the recent survey. The paper will highlight how the use of three-dimensional modeling could allow a renewed reading of the dome’s geometry, with the aim of providing schemes of interpretation to support the analysis of construction and structural behavior. The originality consists in the process of three-dimensional analysis aimed at defining the true shape of domes that are commonly called "oval" or "elliptical", but that actually have more complex configurations due to construction techniques. The study will regard the following themes: the critical analysis of some design drawings for the sanctuary of Vicoforte and reading of its territorial relevance, the analysis of different geometric models historically proposed for the dome of Vicoforte compared to the modern three-dimensional survey, the analysis of the design drawings, that describe the ribs of the dome used for its construction, to obtain a 3D model of the dome