2,813 research outputs found
Communicating with communities (CwC) during post-disaster reconstruction: an initial analysis
International organisations have acknowledged that providing information to and communicating with communities affected by disasters should be considered as an integral part of the humanitarian aid. Yet little is known on the information and communication needs of the population during the disaster reconstruction phase. This paper presents a case study of the information and communication needs of the population and the role of social media during the reconstruction process after the earthquake that struck Emilia-Romagna (Northern Italy) in 2012. Data were collected through field notes and a multiple choices questionnaire distributed online and by hand to community-based groups. Results show that the most sought information concerns housing and infrastructure reconstruction, funds/refunds, business recovery and damage assessment and that city councils and regional council are considered as the main source of the information. Communication channels used to search for reconstruction-related information vary between online and offline respondents. Social media technology is used by citizens affected as a platform to read and share recovery information and post queries rather than as an engagement tool with recovery agencies. Main barriers to engagement are lack of trust towards the authorities and the belief that authorities do not use social media to communicate with citizens. In this context, community-based groups, especially those supported by social media, play an important role in sharing recovery-related information to other residents, clarifying legal acts and regulations and providing informational support to the affected population
The role of adenosine and P2Y receptors expressed by multiple cell types in pain transmission
The role of extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides as signaling molecules in cell-to-cell communication has now been clearly established. This is particularly true in the central and peripheral nervous system, where purines and pyrimidines are involved in both physiological and pathological interactions between neurons and surrounding glial cells. It can be thus foreseen that the purinergic system could represent a new potential target for the development of effective analgesics, also through the normalization of neuronal functions and the inhibition of glial cell activation. Research in the last 15 years has progressively confirmed this hypothesis, but no purinergic-based analgesics have reach the market so far; in the present review we have collected the more recent discoveries on the role of G protein-coupled P2Y nucleotide and of adenosine receptors expressed by both neurons and glial cells under painful conditions, and we have highlighted some of the challenges that must be faced to translate basic and preclinical studies to clinics
Dynamic hysteresis in Finemet thin films
We performed a series of dynamic hysteresis measurements on three series of
Finemet films with composition FeCuNbSiB, using
both the longitudinal magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and the inductive
fluxometric method. The MOKE dynamic hysteresis loops show a more marked
variability with the frequency than the inductive ones, while both measurements
show a similar dependence on the square root of frequency. We analyze these
results in the frame of a simple domain wall depinning model, which accounts
for the general behavior of the data.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Soccer pitches performances as affected by construction method, sand type and turfgrass mixture
During winter, soil compaction and slow turf recovery are the main causes
for loss of soccer pitch quality. Sandy materials are commonly used to reduce
compaction and improve drainage. Internally porous volcanic sand can provide
better growing conditions than silica sand due to higher water holding capacity and
nutrient retention. Festuca arundinacea is well adapted to Italian climatic conditions
and its increased use could improve the quality of sports fields in the Mediterranean
area. In a field trial six construction methods, two sandy materials and two coolseason
turfgrass mixtures were compared under simulated winter usage. Results
showed a progressive increase in ground cover and water infiltration rate according
to the following ranking in the complexity of the design: undrained native soil -
drainage systems - sand based profile. Soil amendment was not effective in
improving drainage. Higher values of ground cover were observed for the mixture
containing tall fescue. Good playing quality was recorded for each of the
construction method, sand type and turfgrass mixture. Porous sand produced a
lower bulk density in the top layer of the rootzone. Festuca arundinacea and porous
sand appear as promising tools in sport fields constructio
Advances in biotechnology: genomics and genome editing
Genomics, the study of genes, their functions and related techniques has become a crucial science for developing understanding of life processes and how they evolve. Since the advent of the human genome project, huge strides have been made in developing understanding of DNA and RNA sequence information and how it can be put to good use in the biotechnology sector. Newly derived sequencing and bioinformatics tools have added to the torrent of new insights gained, so that 'sequence once and query often' type DNA apps are now becoming reality. Genome editing, using tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease or Cpf1 nuclease, provide rapid methods for inserting, deleting or modifying DNA sequences in highly precise ways, in virtually any animal, plant or microbial system. Recent international discussions have considered human germline gene editing, amongst other aspects of this technology. Whether or not gene edited plants will be considered as genetically modified remains an important question. This will determine the regulatory processes adopted by different groups of nations and applicability to feeding the world's ever growing population. Questions surrounding the intellectual property rights associated with gene editing must also be resolved. Mitochondrial replacement therapy leading to '3-Parent Babies' has been successfully carried out in Mexico, by an international team, to correct mother to child mitochondrial disease transmission. The UK has become the first country to legally allow 'cautious use' of mitochondrial donation in treatment. Genomics and genome editing will continue to advance what can be achieved technically, whilst society determines whether or not what can be done should be applied
Sublethal effects induced by morphine to the freshwater biological model Dreissena polymorpha
Opioids are considered as emerging contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, mainly due to their large illicit consume worldwide. Morphine (MOR) is the main opiate and it was commonly found at measurable concentrations in freshwaters. Even though its occurrence is well documented, just limited information is available regarding its hazard to nontarget organisms. The aim of this study was of the evaluation of sublethal effects induced by MOR to the freshwater bivalve Dreissena polymorpha. We exposed mussels to two MOR concentrations (0.05 \ub5g/L and 0.5 \ub5g/L) for 14 days and we investigated the sublethal effects by a suite of biomarkers. The Neutral Red Retention Assay (NRRA) was used as a test of cytotoxicity, while the oxidative stress was evaluated by the activity of antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes, namely catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and by measuring the levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein carbonylation (PCC). The genetic damage was assessed by the Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, the DNA diffusion assay and the micronucleus test (MN test). Finally, the filtration rate of D. polymorpha was evaluated in order to investigate possible physiological effects. Both tested concentrations reduced the lysosome membrane stability of bivalves, but only the highest MOR concentration induced significant changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx) and increase in lipid peroxidation levels. Slight increase in primary DNA fragmentation was noticed, while no fixed genetic damage and alterations of the filtering rate were found
Electroactive chiral oligo- and polymer layers for electrochemical enantiorecognition
Electronically conducting polymer (ECP) and oligomer films are one of the most popular classes of artificial materials for electrode surface modification and nanostructured electroactive film preparation for use as active layers in advanced sensing electrochemical devices. They can act as both receptors and transducers on account of their electroactivity and easy derivatization in a virtually unlimited structure range, and typically have low cost and easy processability. The tailoring possibilities of ECP films also make them attractive selector candidates to achieve the superior level of molecular recognition represented by enantioselective electroanalysis, implying to discriminate between specular images of a chiral molecule . This superior recognition level requires to endow them with chirality and to employ them as enantiopure films, which can be made along different strategies, with different implications in terms of enantioselectivity, kind of transduction of the recognition event, specificity vs general applicability, preparation difficulty, robustness, etc. In this context an outstanding tool is provided by the \u201cinherent chirality\u201dstrategy
Is demagnetization an efficient optimization method?
Demagnetization, commonly employed to study ferromagnets, has been proposed
as the basis for an optimization tool, a method to find the ground state of a
disordered system. Here we present a detailed comparison between the ground
state and the demagnetized state in the random field Ising model, combing exact
results in and numerical solutions in . We show that there are
important differences between the two states that persist in the thermodynamic
limit and thus conclude that AC demagnetization is not an efficient
optimization method.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figur
Investigation of scaling properties of hysteresis in Finemet thin films
We study the behavior of hysteresis loops in Finemet
FeCuNbSiB thin films by using a fluxometric setup
based on a couple of well compensated pickup coils. The presence of scaling
laws of the hysteresis area is investigated as a function of the amplitude and
frequency of the applied field, considering sample thickness from about 20 nm
to 5 m. We do not observe any scaling predicted by theoretical models,
while dynamic loops show a logarithmic dependence on the frequency.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figure
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