Green’ntropy: semantic web / pragmatic web e Officine per la Sostenibilità della Ricerca come motore per riattivare la riqualificazione energetica degli edifici pubblici

In questo “position paper” si rappresentano obbiettivi modelli e metodi per contribuire ad avviare una campagna attiva di ricerca e sensibilizzazione sociale basata sull’interazione attraverso reti sociali e reti di automi basata nel Parco della Ricerca Enea Casaccia. Viene fornita un’anticipazione di quello che vuole essere il progetto “Sistemi Aperti Sapienza”; viene poi fornita una descrizione delle motivazioni di partenza e della riflessione che ha generato questa idea progettuale. Poi vengono considerate le ragioni per la convergenza di partner, identificati nei principali organismi della ricerca nel nostro territorio, in una organizzazione regionale guidata e ospitata da ENEA per raggiungere più rapidamente gli obiettivi dichiarati. La proposta prevede l’ implementazione presso ENEA, di un “FabLab”, un laboratorio finalizzato alla realizzazione di prototipi virtuali / reali, ovvero progettati attraverso software di modellazione 3d e stampabili attraverso stampanti 3d dall’utilizzatore finale. Ciò avverrebbe sulla scorta di quanto sta rapidamente diffondendosi in Italia e nel mondo sull’esempio del Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) - MIT di Boston fondato da Neil Gershenfeld. Il FabLab Casaccia dovrebbe essere realizzato come una delle previste Officine della Sostenibilità specializzata nella produzione di soluzioni per la riqualificazione energetica degli edifici, per l’ applicazione delle energie sostenibili, per la diffusione virale di educazione e consapevolezza energetica e ambientale. Questo progetto, è pensato come un contributo di Sapienza nell’ambito della partnership al progetto di riqualificazione del Parco ENEA finalizzato ad operare per l’applicazione, prevista entro il 2015, delle misure di riqualificazione degli edifici nel settore della Pubblica Amministrazione.Peer Reviewe

Adsorption on activated carbon for PFAS removal: should we act at the source or before the discharge into the environment?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), used in several industrial applications, such as textile production, are gaining increasing concern due to their spread in the environment, their stability and eco-toxicity. To avoid PFAS spread in the environment, removal strategies need to be implemented at both industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). This study presents a case study in a textile district in northern Italy where PFAS removal in wastewater (WW) through adsorption on activated carbon was tested at lab and pilot-scale at different points of the system (textile companies and municipal WW treatment plant). This lab-testing was proved to be useful to identify where to apply such process in the system and to optimize process configuration and operating conditions

Clustering or scattering? The spatial distribution of cropland in a metropolitan region, 1960-2010

This article presents empirical results of a multivariate analysis run with the aim to identify (apparent and latent) socioeconomic transformations that shape the distribution pattern of cropland in a metropolitan region of southern Europe (Athens, Greece) over a sufficiently long time interval spanning from 1960 to 2010. The study area is representative of monocentric cities expanding in an unregulated fashion and experiencing sequential cycles of economic growth and recession. Percent share of cropland in total municipal area increased moderately over time. A non-linear relationship with the distance from downtown Athens was also observed, indicating that the highest rates of cropland were observed at a distance ranging between 20 and 30 km from the inner city. A multivariate regression was run by decade at each municipality of the study area using 11 predictors with the aim to identify the factors most associated with cropland decline along urban fringes. Distance from downtown Athens, soil and climate quality, population growth rate, and competing land use were the most relevant factors correlated with cropland expansion (or decline) in the study area. Competing land use was particularly important for cropland decline in a first urbanization phase (1960-1980), while population growth rate-and hence an increased human pressure-was positively associated with agricultural areas in a subsequent phase (1990-2010). In these regards, per capita urban land had a non-linear spatial behavior, being correlated negatively with cropland in 1960 and 1970 and positively in 2010, possibly indicating a moderate change from a monocentric model towards a more dispersed metropolitan configuration impacting distribution of agricultural areas. Empirical findings of this study suggest that effective strategies supporting peri-urban agriculture require a comprehensive knowledge of the local socioeconomic context and relevant biophysical conditions-specifically focusing on the dominant soil and climate attributes

Multi-spectral Material Classification in Landscape Scenes Using Commodity Hardware

We investigate the advantages of a stereo, multi-spectral acquisition system for material classication in ground-level landscape images. Our novel system allows us to acquire high-resolution, multi- spectral stereo pairs using commodity photographic equipment. Given additional spectral information we obtain better classication of vege- tation classes than the standard RGB case. We test the system in two modes: splitting the visible spectrum into six bands; and extending the recorded spectrum to near infra-red. Our six-band design is more prac- tical than standard multi-spectral techniques and foliage classication using acquired images compares favourably to simply using a standard camera

Impaired radial artery compliance in normotensive subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia

Hypercholesterolemia impairs arteriolar dilatation, but whether the vascular abnormalities accompanying this condition include large artery function is unknown. We addressed this issue in 13 normotensive subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia (serum cholesterol 401.6 \ub1 16.9 mg/dl, mean \ub1 S.E., FHC) and no evidence of atherosclerotic lesions, in whom radial artery (RA) diameter and blood pressure (BP) were measured beat to beat by an echotracking and a Finapres device, respectively. RA compliance (RAG) was derived from the diameter/BP relationship and expressed over the systo-diastolic BP range, both at baseline and after a 12-min brachial artery occlusion. RAC was expressed also as the area under the RAC/BP curve divided for pulse BP. Measurements included maximal forearm blood flow (plethysmography) and minimal forearm vascular resistance (FVR) which were obtained from the values following the 12-min brachial arterial occlusion. Data were collected before and after 6- and 24-month lipid lowering treatment (simvastatin 40 mg/day). Ten age-matched normotensive normocholesterolemic healthy subjects (N) served as controls. Compared to N, baseline RAC was strikingly reduced in FHC (-53.5%, P < 0.01). After ischemia RAC increased significantly and markedly in N (+38.7, P < 0.01), while only a modest and non-significant increase was observed in FHC. Minimal FVR was markedly higher in FHC than in N (3.5 \ub1 0.9 vs 1.6 \ub1 0.1 units, P < 0.01). In FHC (7 subjects) RAC remained unchanged after 6 months of lipid lowering treatment, but increased markedly (+55.2%, P < 0.05) when treatment was prolonged to 24 months. Lipid lowering treatment also reduced minimal FVR, the effect being significant bath after 6 and after 24 months. No changes in RAC and minimal FVR were seen after 6 months in controls. Thus, in subjects with a marked increase in serum cholesterol due to FHC, not only arteriolar dilatation, but also RAC and distensibility are markedly impaired. This impairment can be favourably affected by an effective lipid lowering treatment of long duration

Corrosione delle armature in calcestruzzo armato allo stadio G. Meazza di Milano - Il monitoraggio delle strutture del primo e del secondo anello

The structures of the three rings of the stadium "Giuseppe Meazza" in Milan, built in different stages from 1926 until 1990, is a remarkable evidence of the use of reinforced and prestressed concrete in the last century. If, on the one hand, these structures represent an icon for the potential of this material, on the other hand they also highlight its vulnerability. Reinforced concrete structures of the first and second rings are more than 60 years old and suffer from the effects of corrosion of the steel reinforcement. The municipality of Milan, being the owner of the stadium, has set up a collaboration with Politecnico di Milano aimed at the assessment of the conservation condition of the structures and planning of remedial works necessary to preserve and, at the same time, ensure the correct use of this important infrastructure. This paper describes the investigations carried out on the structures of the first and second ring (dating to 1926-37 and 1955 respectively), which allowed the definition of the extension of carbonation of concrete and the state of corrosion of the reinforcement. The opportunity to monitor the progress of the reinforcement corrosion was also highlighted in order to plan repair works. For this purpose, a monitoring system based on probes for measuring the corrosion potential of the reinforcement and electrical resistivity of concrete is under development

A novel hyperekplexia-causing mutation in the pre-transmembrane segment 1 of the human glycine receptor alpha1 subunit reduces membrane expression and impairs gating by agonists

In this study, we have compared the functional consequences of three mutations (R218Q, V260M, and Q266H) in the 1 subunit of the glycine receptor (GlyRA1) causing hyperekplexia, an inherited neurological channelopathy. In HEK-293 cells, the agonist EC50s for glycine- activated Cl currents were increased from 26 M in wtGlyRA1, to 5747, 135, and 129 M in R218Q, V260M, and Q266H GlyRA1 channels, respectively. Cl currents elicited by -alanine and taurine, which behave as agonists at wtGlyRA1, were decreased in V260M and Q266H mutant receptors and virtually abolished in GlyRA1 R218Q receptors. Gly-gated Cl currents were similarly antagonized by low concentrations of strychnine in both wild-type (wt) and R218Q GlyRA1 channels, suggesting that the Arg-218 residue plays a crucial role in GlyRA1 channel gating, with only minor effects on the agonist/ antagonist binding site, a hypothesis supported by our molecular model of the GlyRA1 subunit. The R218Q mutation, but not the V260M or the Q266H mutation, caused a marked decrease of receptor subunit expression both in total cell lysates and in isolated plasma membrane proteins. This decreased expression does not seem to explain the reduced agonist sensitivity of GlyRA1 R218Q channels since no difference in the apparent sensitivity to glycine or taurine was observed when wtGlyRA1 receptors were expressed at levels comparable with those of R218Q mutant receptors. In conclusion, multiple mechanisms may explain the dramatic decrease in GlyR function caused by the R218Q mutation, possibly providing the molecular basis for its association with a more severe clinical phenotype

The 'indigenous native peasant' trinity: imagining a plurinational community in Evo Morales's Bolivia

Over the last two decades Latin America has been a laboratory for the implementation of new models of state and citizenship. In Bolivia the (neo)liberal multicultural paradigm dominant in the 1990s has recently been replaced by a plurinational paradigm, which implies a deepening of the decentralization process and the strengthening of rights for traditionally marginalized social sectors. This paper describes the process of construction of a plurinational ‘imagined community’ and, in particular, of one of its core narratives: The ‘indigenous native peasant’. I argue that the negotiation of this collective identity and its inclusion as one of the core ideas in the new constitution is the result of a contingent strategy in response to a highly conflictive scenario, which has not been, however, able to trigger a change in the way people identify themselves. Yet in recent years, social movements’ identities have been shaped by centrifugal forces. These forces should be understood as the result of a process of collective actors’ adaptation to institutional and regulatory reforms and contribute to explaining the increase of new intrasocietal conflicts linked to the redefinition of citizenship and territorial boundaries

The anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-37 is an inhibitor of trained immunity.

Summary Trained immunity (TI) is a de facto innate immune memory program induced in monocytes/macrophages by exposure to pathogens or vaccines, which evolved as protection against infections. TI is characterized by immunometabolic changes and histone post-translational modifications, which enhance production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. As aberrant activation of TI is implicated in inflammatory diseases, tight regulation is critical; however, the mechanisms responsible for this modulation remain elusive. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that curbs inflammation and modulates metabolic pathways. In this study, we show that administration of recombinant IL-37 abrogates the protective effects of TI in vivo, as revealed by reduced host pro-inflammatory responses and survival to disseminated candidiasis. Mechanistically, IL-37 reverses the immunometabolic changes and histone post-translational modifications characteristic of TI in monocytes, thus suppressing cytokine production in response to infection. IL-37 thereby emerges as an inhibitor of TI and as a potential therapeutic target in immune-mediated pathologies

Environmental gradients and the evolution of successional habitat specialization: A test case with 14 Neotropical forest sites

© 2015 British Ecological Society. Successional gradients are ubiquitous in nature, yet few studies have systematically examined the evolutionary origins of taxa that specialize at different successional stages. Here we quantify successional habitat specialization in Neotropical forest trees and evaluate its evolutionary lability along a precipitation gradient. Theoretically, successional habitat specialization should be more evolutionarily conserved in wet forests than in dry forests due to more extreme microenvironmental differentiation between early and late-successional stages in wet forest. We applied a robust multinomial classification model to samples of primary and secondary forest trees from 14 Neotropical lowland forest sites spanning a precipitation gradient from 788 to 4000 mm annual rainfall, identifying species that are old-growth specialists and secondary forest specialists in each site. We constructed phylogenies for the classified taxa at each site and for the entire set of classified taxa and tested whether successional habitat specialization is phylogenetically conserved. We further investigated differences in the functional traits of species specializing in secondary vs. old-growth forest along the precipitation gradient, expecting different trait associations with secondary forest specialists in wet vs. dry forests since water availability is more limiting in dry forests and light availability more limiting in wet forests. Successional habitat specialization is non-randomly distributed in the angiosperm phylogeny, with a tendency towards phylogenetic conservatism overall and a trend towards stronger conservatism in wet forests than in dry forests. However, the specialists come from all the major branches of the angiosperm phylogeny, and very few functional traits showed any consistent relationships with successional habitat specialization in either wet or dry forests. Synthesis. The niche conservatism evident in the habitat specialization of Neotropical trees suggests a role for radiation into different successional habitats in the evolution of species-rich genera, though the diversity of functional traits that lead to success in different successional habitats complicates analyses at the community scale. Examining the distribution of particular lineages with respect to successional gradients may provide more insight into the role of successional habitat specialization in the evolution of species-rich taxa