Library of model components for process simulation relevant to production activities, Prototype 1 versions

Production Economics,

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effects of nasal calcitonin on bone microarchitecture measured by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computerized tomography in postmenopausal women — Study protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bone microarchitecture is a significant determinant of bone strength. So far, the assessment of bone microarchitecture has required bone biopsies, limiting its utilization in clinical practice to one single skeletal site. With the advance of high-resolution imaging techniques, non-invasive in vivo measurement of bone microarchitecture has recently become possible. This provides an opportunity to efficiently assess the effects of anti-osteoporotic therapies on bone microarchitecture. We therefore designed a protocol to investigate the effects of nasal salmon calcitonin, an inhibitor of osteoclast activity, on bone microarchitecture in postmenopausal women, comparing weight bearing and non-weight bearing skeletal sites.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred postmenopausal women will be included in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial comparing the effect of nasal salmon calcitonin (200 UI/day) to placebo over two years. Bone microarchitecture at the distal radius and distal tibia will be determined yearly by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computerized tomography (p-QCT) with a voxel size of 82 μm and an irradiation of less than 5 μSv. Serum markers of bone resorption and bone formation will be measured every 6 months. Safety and compliance will be assessed. Primary endpoint is the change in bone microarchitecture; secondary endpoint is the change in markers of bone turnover.</p> <p>Hypothesis</p> <p>The present study should provide new information on the mode of action of nasal calcitonin. We hypothezise that - compared to placebo - calcitonin impacts on microstructural parameters, with a possible difference between weight bearing and non-weight bearing bones.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00372099</p

The Resilience of Venice

The overall theme of this essay is the resilience of Venice. It consists of two parts presenting different and complementary aspects of this resilience. The first part, Venice and its lagoon, focuses on the physical and morphological components of this resilience. It provides a historical perspective of how the human interventions made by the Serenissima Republic changed on an unprecedented scale the configuration of the lagoon to insure the survival of the city, its trade and civilization against its numerous enemies. The human interventions of the 20th century were economically driven and were meant to make the city and its region resilient for survival in a modern, industrialized world. The challenge for the future is to undertake further, and major, interventions to insure resilience to global warming and the danger of unprecedented sea level rise. Even the physical survival of the city, its millennial structure and unique way of living are at stake. The second part, Venice and its urban fabrics, focuses on the urban aspects of resilience, how this has evolved from the past to the present and must be reinvented for the future. It provides a perspective of the physical and social fragility of the city but also of its resilient capacity which, if properly managed, can reverse the trend that the city bears

Resilience of Venice, 2020

The overall theme is the resilience of Venice addressed in two different and complementary aspects. Firstly, the focus is on the physical and morphological components of the resilience. A historical perspective is presented of how the human interventions made by the Serenissima Republic changed the configuration of the lagoon to insure the survival of the city, its trade and civilization against its numerous enemies. The human interventions of the 20th century were economically driven and were meant to make the city and its region resilient for survival in a modern, industrialized world. The challenge for the future is to undertake further, and major, interventions to insure resilience to global warming and the danger of unprecedented sea level rise. Even the physical survival of the city, its millennial structure and unique way of living are at stake. Secondly, the focus is on the urban aspects of resilience, how this has evolved from the past to the present and must be reinvented for the future. The functions on the ground floor of the historic center are analyzed and the different types and activities drawn, underlining the importance of the productive activities and of the commercial and artisanal micro-fabric. These functions define the quality of living. The idea is to underline a perspective of the physical and social fragility of the city but also of its resilient capacity which, if properly managed, can reverse the trend that the city bears

Removing barriers to promote transition: the role of psychological distance as a barrier to tipping points.

This contribution aims to study socio-psychological barriers to radical shifts, which is a crucial step to engage people with the transformations required to contrast climate change. An overall low engagement in behaviors which can promote such transformations has been shown. The gap between the seriousness of a risk and the level of awareness and involvement of public opinion can be explained by how much a risk is perceived as such. People who perceive a risk as psychologically distant do not feel in danger and may not feel the need to adopt pro-environmental behaviors. With the aim of studying the role of psychological distance on the behavioral intention, two different risks - both current and urgent- but which are supposed to be perceived differently, were compared: climate change and covid-19 pandemic. More than 600 questionnaires (half focused on a risk, half on the other) were collected. Together with different dimensions of psychological distance, other factors that can influence the behavioral intention, functioning as barriers, have also been investigated, such as the level of conspiracy. Preliminary results confirmed the role of psychological distance as a barrier. Results will be discussed, focusing on how to overcome the factors that emerged as barriers

Mapping the meanings of decarbonisation: A systematic review of studies in the social sciences using lexicometric analysis

The present paper provides a systematic overview of the way decarbonisation has been treated in social sciences in recent years. Titles and keywords of 404 papers, published from 2015 to June 2020, and indexed in the Scopus database, were submitted to lexicometric and bibliometric analyses. Results confirm that decarbonisation has become a key term in social sciences research on energy, with a growing number of articles published by interdisciplinary journals. Key terms associated with decarbonisation shifted their focus from issues connected with production to broader themes related to sustainability and solutions. Governance, discourse in the social arena and public opinion are the main semantic associated areas emerging from the selected sample. Themes included in these areas range from biophysical and technological risks to social movements, issues of justice, and visions of the future. The overall picture detected in the current study poses further questions and suggests possible research paths concerning the voices and themes at the centre of the stage and those left in the shadows

“The cultural bases behind a radical transformation. Policies and practices of sustainability and inclusiveness in an Argentinean network of universities”

This contribution focuses on how radical transformations are enabled by universities as cultural and social actors/communities with their own roots. Tensions between shared visions and situated differences are here explored with relation to the Agenda 2030 by focusing on the case of the Argentinean Universities for Environmental Management and Social Inclusion network (UAGAIS). By mediating the culturally situated conceptualization of social commitment with global discourse, UAGAIS seems to enable a non-Western worldview of sustainable and transformative knowledge through the concept of “extension”, that may lead to tipping points. In-depth interviews with key members of UAGAIS touched on issues including the sustainability agenda, its inclusion and translation into universities policies, culture and practices. Discourse analysis, informed by cultural psychology approach, identified shared interpretative repertoires regarding the positioning of participants, the boundaries between universities and society, and the conflicts which the network is dealing with. Results provide a critical point of view of western and North hemisphere assumptions about SDGs by introducing alternative and culturally viable visions of sustainability, social inclusion and transformative knowledge