Urban policies and planning approaches for a safer and climate friendlier mobility in cities: Strategies, initiatives and some analysis

How can urban policies and planning approaches help in achieving a safer mobility and carbon reduction in the transport sector? The attention of planners and policy makers towards the promotion of sustainability and reduction of environmental impacts has grown in recent years. This paper investigates the role that Urban Planning plays in the long term towards a safer and climate friendlier mobility, highlighting the need for integrated approaches gathering spatial planning and mobility management. After a review of several urban policies and planning strategies, initiatives, and approaches, mainly based on the urban scale, the paper presents an urban regeneration case study leading to an increase of pedestrian accessibility at the neighborhood level. This can be seen as a support tool to foster sustainable, safe, and climate friendly mobility in cities. The results of the performed analysis show a dependency of accessibility from two different factors: the distribution of services and the capillarity of the soft mobility network, which can contribute to creating a more walkable space

Multiple Integrated Non-clinical Studies Predict the Safety of Lentivirus-Mediated Gene Therapy for \u3b2-Thalassemia

Gene therapy clinical trials require rigorous non-clinical studies in the most relevant models to assess the benefit-to-risk ratio. To support the clinical development of gene therapy for \u3b2-thalassemia, we performed in vitro and in vivo studies for prediction of safety. First we developed newly GLOBE-derived vectors that were tested for their transcriptional activity and potential interference with the expression of surrounding genes. Because these vectors did not show significant advantages, GLOBE lentiviral vector (LV) was elected for further safety characterization. To support the use of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) transduced by GLOBE LV for the treatment of \u3b2-thalassemia, we conducted toxicology, tumorigenicity, and biodistribution studies in compliance with the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice. We demonstrated a lack of toxicity and tumorigenic potential associated with GLOBE LV-transduced cells. Vector integration site (IS) studies demonstrated that both murine and human transduced HSCs retain self-renewal capacity and generate new blood cell progeny in the absence of clonal dominance. Moreover, IS analysis showed an absence of enrichment in cancer-related genes, and the genes targeted by GLOBE LV in human HSCs are well known sites of integration, as seen in other lentiviral gene therapy trials, and have not been associated with clonal expansion. Taken together, these integrated studies provide safety data supporting the clinical application of GLOBE-mediated gene therapy for \u3b2-thalassemia

Giant quartz orebodies: structural, mineralogical and geochemical evolution

Quartz veins are frequent but giant quartz-only orebodies,mostly mined for metallurgy and ceramic industry, are not so common and their origin and mechanisms of emplacemen are not completely understood (e.g., see [1] for a geologicalstructural model). At the location of Sondalo, in the Central Alpine Belt (Northern Italy), a huge orebody of pure quartz is emplaced in high-grade continental basement of the Austroalpine Languard-Campo Nappe. The orebody, currently extensively mined and in development, is open ended at depth. It has never been studied. The orebody is irregularly tubularshaped, and is in direct, brecciated to faulted contact with basement migmatites, garnet-biotite-sillimanite gneisses and amphibolites as well as with a Permian gabbro intrusion(Sondalo Gabbro)emplaced in the basement. The orebody consists of extremely hard, highly deformed, varicoloured(white, light pink, grey, black) quartz. Muscovite and tourmaline are the rare but coarser accessory minerals near the margins of the body, although sub-micrometric accessory phases variably disseminated throughout the body were observed. Fluid inclusions are locally abundant.3D meso- and micro-structural relationships between orebody and basement and thermo-barometric estimates suggest emplacement of the quartz intrusion later than Permian but before Alpine convergence, at T >750\ub0C and P 48 0.7 Gpa. However unusual, coarse skeletal biotite and orthopyroxene intergrowths in reaction rims of breccia fragments also suggest a remarkably high thermal regime of the quartz emplacement, at T > 670\ub0C (biotite-opx thermometer). During the emplacement widespread brittle deformation occurred likely associated with hydrofracturing mechanisms. Quartz also bears evidences of intense plastic deformation with localized annealing, in addition to widespread mm- to cm-spaced late-stage fracturing. At the mesoscale highly strained portions of the orebody may show impressive colour variations from pure white to black. Selected trace elements, Al, B, Ba, Fe, Ge, P, Ti were analyzed for evaluating colour variations and provenance of quartz based on mechanisms of Si replacement in the quartz lattice in pegmatite-like contexts (see [2,3]). The trace element composition of the Sondalo quartz revealed unusually high values of Si-substituting Ge, P Ti and Al contents and related ratios relative to pegmatite-related quartz, as well as high contents in Ba. Trace elements show roughly zoned, coherent distribution patterns and show some relationships with colour variations. Coupled Ba and Ti enrichments may also cope the occurrence of phases like benitoite (revealed only in XRD patterns) among the submicrometric accessory phases. Coupling of structural and geochemical mineralogical investigations of orebody and wall rock may give additional clues on the still poorly understood nature, mechanisms of formation and emplacement of huge quartz-only bodies in orogens. [1] Bons, P.D. (2001) Tectonophysics, 336, 1-17. [2] Larsen, R.B. et al. (2004) Contrib. Miner. Petrol., 147, 615-628. [3] G\uf6tze, J. et al. (2004) Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 68, 3741-3759

Design for Reliability of Robotic Systems Based on the Prognostic Approach

This work presents an iterative methodology for reliability design of production equipment based on the diagnostic and prognostic approach. The proposed method starts with the FMECA analysis in order to identify the main critical components of mechanical systems (e.g. robotic cells, robots, automatic machines). The mitigation actions are selected evaluating a design review of the project or imposing a maintenance strategy by critical component. This selection is defined by the calculated risk (e.g. risk priority number) and the life cycle cost assessment of the production equipment. The analysis of failure causes may support in evaluating preventive or predictive techniques focused on physical or data driven models. The use of a general database that collects and shares information from systems/components already installed in the field permits to analyse life and performance data in real time in an integrated closed loop. This research is a part of PROGRAMS: PROGnostics based Reliability Analysis for Maintenance Scheduling, H2020-FOF-09-2017-767287

Road Safety in East Lombardy: first outcomes of a comprehensive approach

Which is the current road safety and road crash injury situation in the provinces of East Lombardy? And what can be done to prevent road crashes, killed and injured? A road safety assessment has been carried out and two pilot projects are at the moment under implementation within SOL (Save Our Lives) project, cofinanced by the European Programme of Territorial Cooperation “Central Europe” and coordinated by ALOT, the Agency of East Lombardy for Transport and Logistics. This paper aims at describing the first outcomes and the further developments of the Italian branch of the project, where the University of Brescia (DICATA Department) is giving its academic and technical support, looking at the experience gained during the years within the field of Road Safety and Regional Planning, as described for example in Busi and Pezzagno (1999) and in Tiboni and Rossetti (2011)