Evaluation of environmental sustainability threshold of “humid” and “dry” building systems, for reduction of embodied carbon (CO2)

[EN] The New Italian Procurement Code (Legislative Decree No. 50/2016), in compliance with the EU directives 26/02/2014, has introduced, among other things, the possibility of obtaining awards, during the awarding of the contract , in terms of reducing the estimated energy impact in the life cycle of the work. The objective of this study was to direct architectural design towards conscious choices that are compatible with environmental legislation. The study, therefore, aimed to analyze the characteristics of the most widespread (wet and dry) construction systems, in order to determine environmental sustainability thresholds referring to each of the four systems hypothesized for the development of the model. The simulated cases for the definition of the model refer to the following construction systems: M1 (structural system in load-bearing masonry); M2 (constructive system with frame structure and traditional brick cladding); M3 (constructive system with metallic bearing structure and dry stratified shell); M4 (constructive system with wooden supporting structure and dry stratified shell). The results indicated design scenarios aimed at using constructive systems that present advantages in terms of disassembly, recovery and reuse of the various components; in addition to the attitude of such systems, to be resilient, or to be able to be adapted and transformed during the life cycle of the building organism.Di Ruocco, G.; Melella, R. (2018). Evaluation of environmental sustainability threshold of “humid” and “dry” building systems, for reduction of embodied carbon (CO2). 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(2012), Oltre la facciata. L'evoluzione tecnológica dell'involucro edilizio tra tradizione e innovazione, CUES Edizioni, Fisciano (Salerno)Fantozzi F., Scatizzi G., Venturelli F. (2017), La certificazione energetica e ambientale LEED, guida ai principi, Hoepli, MilanoFrattari A. (2014), Soluzioni costruttive per edifici in legno, Rockwool Italia, MilanoGriffin P.W., Hammond G., Norman J.B. (2016), Industrial energy use and carbon emissions reduction: A UK perspective. In Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment - March 2016. https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.212Hammond G., Jones C.I. (2009), Embodied Carbon: The Concealed Impact of Residential Construction, Green Energy and Technology 31:367-384. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1017-2_23Kumanayake R.B., Luo H.B. 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Corruption and policy-making. How corrupt models favor the mafias. The case study of Italy

Based on empirical research focused on the phenomenon of corruption in Italy. The purpose of the contribution is to show the different models that are made of corruption pacts according to the actors who regulate them. The basis of the judicial documents was provided by the National Anti-Mafia Directorate (DNAA), the Court of Auditors, and a sample of Courts of Appeal from different jurisdictional districts. The information collected offers an account of the influence that the various mafias have on public policies and the ability to circumvent current legislation. The contribution underlines the existing interpretative limits and why they do not explain to what extent great and small corruption are related

Corruption and Policy-making. How Corruption Models Favor Mafias. The Case Study of Italy

Based on empirical research focused on the phenomenon of corruption in Italy. The purpose of the contribution is to show the different models that are made of corruption pacts according to the actors who regulate them. The basis of the judicial documents was provided by the National Anti-Mafia Directorate (DNAA), the Court of Auditors, and a sample of Courts of Appeal from different jurisdictional districts. The information collected offers an account of the influence that the various mafias have on public policies and the ability to circumvent current legislation. The contribution underlines the existing interpretative limits and why they do not explain to what extent great and small corruption are related

Omental infarction in children misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis

Omental infarction (OI) is a rare cause of acute abdomen in children. It is found in  0.1–0.5% of pediatric patients undergoing abdominal exploration for the suspect of  acute appendicitis. OI is considered a self-limited entity, and conservative management should be considered. This approach implicates computer tomography scan radiation exposure, prolonged hospitalization, and prolonged analgesic and anti-inflammatory therapy. In contrast, surgery allows immediate pain resolution with low complication rate. We present our experience with two cases of pediatric acute abdomen due to OI, misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis, which were successfully treated surgically.Keywords: acute abdomen, acute appendicitis, omental infarction, pediatri

Low-Carbon Tourism-Technical, Economic and Management Project of Greenway for Enhancing Inner Areas of the Cilento national park, Italy

[EN] In the light of recent emergencies represented by climate change and global warming, with the consequent policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this research aims at offering a response to the need for decarbonization of anthropization processes of territories, on a building and urban scale. This study elaborates a methodology, according to an integrated qualitative-quantitative approach, which combines the strategic need for sustainable mobility with the need to enhance the value of natural and environmental interesting places, typical of the Mediterranean area and in particular the ones which represented the heart of Magna Graecia. This strategy is implemented through a growing mobility offer in recent years: sustainable cycling tourism, which is included in the wider and more widespread strategic action of greenways. However, these strategies do not often meet the interests of the public administration, which is refractory to face great costs in exchange for a hypothetical return on investment, in the long term; the result is the abandonment and degradation of territories characterized by a remarkable naturalistic, landscape and environmental value. The aim of this study, therefore, is to provide operators in the sector (public administration, Cilento National Park Authority, economic operators, etc.) with a decision-maintenance tool, through the definition of priority criteria for interventions, according to an economic sustainability approach of the intervention and adopting an integrated qualitative-quantitative methodology. The intervention, as a whole, involves a cycle path of about 600 km, passing through 70 countries of the territory. Therefore, assuming the impossibility of being carried out at the same time, as a whole, it has been divided into 23 functional lots: the methodology intends, precisely, to define the priority and necessity criteria that determine the classification of importance of the 23 routes (sub-interventions), identified in this study.Di Ruocco, G.; Palmero Iglesias, LM.; Blandón, B.; Melella, R. (2020). Low-Carbon Tourism-Technical, Economic and Management Project of Greenway for Enhancing Inner Areas of the Cilento national park, Italy. Sustainability. 12(23):1-30. https://doi.org/10.3390 /su122310012S130122

Analytic Hierarchy Process for classes of economic behavior in the context of intertemporal choices

Due to the major crises of the past decade, the need to introduce consumer profiling operations to protect individuals from committing superficial business transactions has been realized in 2014/65/EU Directive. The present paper investigates how consumer behavioral attitudes influence the decision-making process so that the choice results, from a normative point of view, non-rational in the context of intertemporal choice. In addition, the particular focus by European institutions on closing the gender gap in the economic and financial sector motivated this research to enrich the analysis with gender assessments. The study of the relationship between cognitive characteristics and consumer decision making are deepened with a multidisciplinary approach involving mathematics, behavioral finance, temperament theory and multi-criteria analysis.  The results of an experimental investigation confirm that there is not a better temperament or a more adept gender in economic and financial choices

Therapeutic Potentials of Ketamine and Esketamine in Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Eating Disorders (ED): A Review of the Current Literature

The obsessive–compulsive spectrum refers to disorders drawn from several diagnostic categories that share core features related to obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), such as obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors and anxiety. Disorders that include these features can be grouped according to the focus of the symptoms, e.g., bodily preoccupation (i.e., eating disorders, ED) or impulse control (i.e., substance use disorders, SUD), and they exhibit intriguing similarities in phenomenology, etiology, pathophysiology, patient characteristics and clinical outcomes. The non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAr) antagonist ketamine has been indicated to produce remarkable results in patients with treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and OCD in dozens of small studies accrued over the past decade, and it appears to be promising in the treatment of SUD and ED. However, despite many small studies, solid evidence for the benefits of its use in the treatment of OCD spectrum and addiction is still lacking. Thus, the aim of this perspective article is to examine the potential for ketamine and esketamine in treating OCD, ED and SUD, which all involve recurring and intrusive thoughts and generate associated compulsive behavior. A comprehensive and updated overview of the literature regarding the pharmacological mechanisms of action of both ketamine and esketamine, as well as their therapeutic advantages over current treatments, are provided in this paper. An electronic search was performed, including all papers published up to April 2021, using the following keywords (“ketamine” or “esketamine”) AND (“obsessive” OR “compulsive” OR “OCD” OR “SUD” OR “substance use disorder” OR “addiction” OR “craving” OR “eating” OR “anorexia”) NOT review NOT animal NOT “in vitro”, on the PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science online databases. The review was conducted in accordance with preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The use and efficacy of ketamine in SUD, ED and OCD is supported by glutamatergic neurotransmission dysregulation, which plays an important role in these conditions. Ketamine’s use is increasing, and preliminary data are optimistic. Further studies are needed in order to better clarify the many unknowns related to the use of both ketamine and esketamine in SUD, ED and OCD, and to understand their long-term effectiveness.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

High-Mobility Group Box 1 Protein in Human and Murine Skin: Involvement in Wound Healing

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Unbalanced Immune System: Immunodeficiencies and Autoimmunity

Increased risk of developing autoimmune manifestations has been identified in different primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs). In such conditions, autoimmunity and immune deficiency represent intertwined phenomena that reflect inadequate immune function. Autoimmunity in PIDs may be caused by different mechanisms, including defects of tolerance to self-antigens and persistent stimulation as a result of the inability to eradicate antigens. This general immune dysregulation leads to compensatory and exaggerated chronic inflammatory responses that lead to tissue damage and autoimmunity. Each PID may be characterized by distinct, peculiar autoimmune manifestations. Moreover, different pathogenetic mechanisms may underlie autoimmunity in PID. In this review, the main autoimmune manifestations observed in different PID, including humoral immunodeficiencies, combined immunodeficiencies, and syndromes with immunodeficiencies, are summarized. When possible, the pathogenetic mechanism underlying autoimmunity in a specific PID has been explained

Radiomic and Artificial Intelligence Analysis with Textural Metrics, Morphological and Dynamic Perfusion Features Extracted by Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Classification of Breast Lesions

The aim of the study was to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of textural, morpho- logical and dynamic features, extracted by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) images, by carrying out univariate and multivariate statistical analyses including artificial intelligence approaches. Methods: In total, 85 patients with known breast lesion were enrolled in this retrospective study according to regulations issued by the local Institutional Review Board. All patients underwent DCE-MRI examination. The reference standard was pathology from a surgical specimen for malignant lesions and pathology from a surgical specimen or fine needle aspiration cytology, core or Tru-Cut needle biopsy for benign lesions. In total, 91 samples of 85 patients were ana- lyzed. Furthermore, 48 textural metrics, 15 morphological and 81 dynamic parameters were extracted by manually segmenting regions of interest. Statistical analyses including univariate and multivari- ate approaches were performed: non-parametric Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test; receiver operating characteristic (ROC), linear classifier (LDA), decision tree (DT), k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM) were utilized. A balancing approach and feature selection methods were used. Results: The univariate analysis showed low accuracy and area under the curve (AUC) for all considered features. Instead, in the multivariate textural analysis, the best performance (accuracy (ACC) = 0.78; AUC = 0.78) was reached with all 48 metrics and an LDA trained with balanced data. The best performance (ACC = 0.75; AUC = 0.80) using morphological features was reached with an SVM trained with 10-fold cross-variation (CV) and balanced data (with adaptive synthetic (ADASYN) function) and a subset of five robust morphological features (circularity, rectangularity, sphericity, gleaning and surface). The best performance (ACC = 0.82; AUC = 0.83) using dynamic features was reached with a trained SVM and balanced data (with ADASYN function). Conclusion: Multivariate analyses using pattern recognition approaches, including all morphological, textural and dynamic features, optimized by adaptive synthetic sampling and feature selection operations obtained the best results and showed the best performance in the discrimination of benign and malignant lesions