Prassi di riferimento UNI/PdR 13.1:2015. Sostenibilità ambientale nelle costruzioni - Strumenti operativi per la valutazione della sostenibilità. Edifici residenziali

Il documento specifica i criteri sui quali si fonda il sistema di analisi multicriteria per la valutazione della sostenibilità ambientale degli edifici residenziali, ai fini della loro classificazione attraversol’attribuzione di un punteggio di prestazione. Oggetto della valutazione è un singolo edificio e la sua area esterna di pertinenza. Il documento si applica ai fini del calcolo del punteggio di prestazione di edifici residenziali, di nuova costruzione o oggetto di ristrutturazione

OsWRKY IIa Transcription Factors Modulate Rice Innate Immunity

WRKY transcription factors regulate diverse plant processes including responses to biotic stresses. Our previous studies indicate that OsWRKY62, an OsWRKY IIa subfamily member, functions as a negative regulator of the rice defense against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Here, we report that a large inverted repeat construct designed to knock down the expression of the four OsWRKY IIa subfamily members (OsWRKY62, OsWRKY28, OsWRKY71, and OsWRKY76) leads to overexpression of all four genes and disease resistance in some transgenic plants. These phenotypes are stably inherited as reflected by progeny analysis. A pathogenesis-related gene, PR10, is up-regulated in plants overexpressing the OsWRKY IIa genes. These results suggest that OsWRKY IIa proteins interact functionally to modulate plant innate immunity

Modulation of defense signal transduction by flagellin-induced WRKY41 transcription factor in Arabidopsis thaliana

Flagellin, a component of the flagellar filament of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 (Pta), induces hypersensitive reaction in its non-host Arabidopsis thaliana. We identified the WRKY41 gene, which belongs to a multigene family encoding WRKY plant-specific transcription factors, as one of the flagellin-inducible genes in A. thaliana. Expression of WRKY41 is induced by inoculation with the incompatible pathogen P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto) possessing AvrRpt2 and the non-host pathogens Pta within 6-h after inoculation, but not by inoculation with the compatible Pto. Expression of WRKY41 was also induced by inoculation of A. thaliana with an hrp-type three secretion system (T3SS)-defective mutant of Pto, indicating that effectors produced by T3SS in the Pto wild-type suppress the activation of WRKY41. Arabidopsis overexpressing WRKY41 showed enhanced resistance to the Pto wild-type but increased susceptibility to Erwinia carotovora EC1. WRKY41-overexpressing Arabidopsis constitutively expresses the PR5 gene, but suppresses the methyl jasmonate-induced PDF1.2 gene expression. These results demonstrate that WRKY41 may be a key regulator in the cross talk of salicylic acid and jasmonic acid pathways.</p

The Observing facet of trait mindfulness predicts frequency of aesthetic experiences evoked by the arts

Mindfulness can foster an enhanced sensitivity to internal and external impressions, which could result in heightened subjective responses to works of art. So far though, very little is known about the connection between mindfulness and aesthetic responses to the arts, therefore the current study aimed to investigate whether there was an association between trait mindfulness and how often people report aesthetic experiences. We hypothesized that the Observing facet of mindfulness would positively predict the self-reported frequency of aesthetic experiences (aesthetic chills, feeling touched, and absorption). Participants in an online study (N = 207) completed the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, an Aesthetic Experiences scale in relation to the area of the arts a participant encountered most frequently in their daily life, and a measure of aesthetic expertise. Controlling for aesthetic expertise and sex, linear regression revealed that the Observing facet of mindfulness was positively associated with aesthetic experience, as predicted. Non-reactivity positively predicted aesthetic experience, while Non-judging was negatively associated with aesthetic experience. Potential explanations for the association between these three facets of trait mindfulness and aesthetic responses are discussed in relation to information-processing models of aesthetic experience. The findings provide preliminary support for the premise that levels of dispositional mindfulness are associated with the frequency of intense emotional responses to the arts, and recommendations for further research studies are outlined

How positive emotions build physical health: Perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone

The mechanisms underlying the association between positive emotions and physical health remain a mystery. We hypothesize that an upward-spiral dynamic continually reinforces the tie between positive emotions and physical health and that this spiral is mediated by people’s perceptions of their positive social connections. We tested this overarching hypothesis in a longitudinal field experiment in which participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group that self-generated positive emotions via loving-kindness meditation or to a waiting-list control group. Participants in the intervention group increased in positive emotions relative to those in the control group, an effect moderated by baseline vagal tone, a proxy index of physical health. Increased positive emotions, in turn, produced increases in vagal tone, an effect mediated by increased perceptions of social connections. This experimental evidence identifies one mechanism—perceptions of social connections—through which positive emotions build physical health, indexed as vagal tone. Results suggest that positive emotions, positive social connections, and physical health influence one another in a self-sustaining upward-spiral dynamic

ANTI-RABIES ANTIBODIES IN JAPANESE VOLUNTEERS IMMUNIZED WITH IMPORTED VACCINE: A PRELIMINARy STUDy

Abstract. We vaccinated seven Japanese volunteers and collected sera to examine their immunological responses to rabies vaccine. A purified chick embryo cell vaccine, Rabipur (PCECV), provided by Chiron, was used. Subjects were vaccinated by intramuscular injection. The vaccination schedule was Days 0, 7 and 21 we collected blood samples on Day 0, before the vaccination, and after Day 56. The seroprotective titer was measured by a Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT). Six subjects had increases in anti-rabies titers to seroprotective levels. We defined seroprotection as ≥ 0.5 IU/ml. One subject has a lower response post-titer vaccination of 0.6 IU/ml. A post-vaccination titer was not available in one subject. We did not observe any singnificant adverse effects. We confirmed that Rabipur is immunogenic in Japanese subjects. This research may contribute to a guide for Japanese patients exposed to rabies outside Japan

COMBINING ABILITY IN MAIZE LINES USING A DIALLEL CROSS

The objective was to select maize (Zea mays L.) lines, based on the effects of general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA) and heterosis, for the formation of single crosses. During the spring-summer 2008 cycle, 120 single crosses with the combination of 16 lines of white grain maize were evaluated. To estimate the GCA and SCA effects, the method IV, model I of Griffing's method, was used, in an alpha lattice design with two 16 x 8 repetitions. The results revealed that there are lines with good GCA: LRB-14RC2-1-1, LT-154RC2-1-2, LT-155RC2-1-1, VS-536RC2-1-1, VS-536RC2-1-1, CML-264Q and CML-159. The crosses LT-155RC2-1-1xVS-536RC2-1-1, CABGRC2-1-3xD-539RC2-1-1 and D-539RC2-1-1xCML-159 showed the greatest effects of SCA. Of the inbred lines evaluated, LRB-14RC2-1-1, LT-154RC2-1-2, LT-155RC2-1-1, VS-536RC2-1-1, VS-536RC2-1-1, FAM. V-537C, CML-264Q and CML-159 showed the greatest varietal effect values, considering that there is greater additive gene action and that formation of synthetic varieties is possible. The crosses LT155RC2-1-1xVS536RC2-1-1, CABGRC2-1-3xD-539RC2-1-1 and D-539RC2-1-1xCML-159 showed high ACE effects and high heterosis levels, adequate for the formation of maize hybrids. The use of diallel designs to estimate GCA and SCA in inbred lines and their crosses allowed knowing the most efficient breeding method