Reuse of an ancient church: thermal aspect for integrated solutions

Abstract The definition of intervention strategies for the restoration and the functional actualization of historic and high artistic quality artifacts, postulates a systemic approach for the different variables that contribute to the definition of the project. This paper presents an emblematic case study of an historic building, the church of St. Francis in San Giovanni in Persiceto near Bologna, one of the most representative of the architectural construction of Bolognese Baroque, built by Alfonso Torreggiani. The expected new functions as exhibition hall and/or concert activities, requires a search for integrated strategies to ensure indoor comfort requirements (thermo-hygrometric, acoustics) and to define HVAC plant equipment for the reduction of energy consumption without affecting the historic values and artistic perception of the building. Therefore, the analysis of the church in the survey phase, besides the usual historical and architectural investigations, should investigate the potential issues and the critical aspects of structures, like the multilayered floor and refined decorations that lines the walls of the nave. Understanding the intimate rationality of the building (presence of any shafts, steps etc .) is a prerequisite for the inclusion of plant components without altering the visual perception and to optimize the acoustic and the climatization plant systems. Although the use of renewable energy are required today for all new plant systems, in this case it was decided to exclude invasive elements that could have altered the image of the entire monumental complex of which the church belongs. The proposed HVAC plant, after an analysis of dynamic thermal behaviour of the building, is an air-conditioning system coupled to radiant heating system to ensure, in a climate context with high humidity levels, the optimal temperature and humidity not only for comfort conditions but also for preservation of the building itself and of artistic works

Congenital Chagas disease in a Bolivian newborn in Bergamo (Italy)

Chagas disease (CD) is an uncommon disease in Europe. Its epidemiology has changed because of mass migration from Latin America to Europe. Herein we describe a congenital case of CD in a Bolivian newborn in Bergamo, the main city of residence for the Bolivian community in Italy. At delivery, serological analyses evidenced IgG antibodies against Trypanosoma cruzi both in the child and mother, as expected. Hemoscopic analyses on peripheral blood were repeatedly negative during the first months of life. Eventually, thanks to T. cruzi Real Time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positivity on peripheral blood and development of progressive anemia in the following weeks, congenital Chagas disease was diagnosed and benznidazole-based therapy started. A progressive antibodies' index decrease was observed till negativity (306 days apart). RT-PCR was negative at the end of treatment. Our case is instructive and management of congenital CD is discussed from the perspective of a non-endemic country

Harmony of transitions in assessing interpersonal motivations in transcripts analysis can discriminate between Adult Attachment Interview secure and disorganized individuals

SUMMARY. Aim. Assessing Interpersonal Motivations in Transcripts (AIMIT) is a validated coding system to assess the activation of interpersonal motivational systems (IMS) in the transcripts of psychotherapy sessions. The Transition Index (TI) is an AIMIT measure that reflects the levels of organisation, synchronisation and harmony amongst two or more IMS when they are rapidly shifting or simultaneously in the clinical dialogue. It is supposed to be a measure of integration and coherence of the patient’s state of mind within the psychotherapeutic sessions. It has also been hypothesized that low TI could be a marker for disorganization of attachment of the patient leading to difficulties in the therapeutic relationships and ruptures in the therapeutic alliance. In order to assess this hypothesis we tested its capability to discriminate between Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) organized and disorganized individuals. Methods. Two groups of 15 transcriptions of AAI matched for age and sex, one classified as free-autonomous and one as disorganized, were analysed by the AIMIT method. Results. Compared to organized individuals, disorganized patients at AAI reported lower TI scores (3.7±0.63 vs 3.0±0.53; F=2.98, p=0.005). Furthermore, TI showed a good discriminant capability (Wilks’ Lambda=0.77, p=0.004). Discussion and Conclusion. This result seems to confirm the usefulness and reliability of AIMIT analysis in evaluating the interpersonal difficulties which often characterize the therapeutic relationship with disorganized attachment patient

mRNA stability and the unfolding of gene expression in the long-period yeast metabolic cycle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In yeast, genome-wide periodic patterns associated with energy-metabolic oscillations have been shown recently for both short (approx. 40 min) and long (approx. 300 min) periods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The dynamical regulation due to mRNA stability is found to be an important aspect of the genome-wide coordination of the long-period yeast metabolic cycle. It is shown that for periodic genes, arranged in classes according either to expression profile or to function, the pulses of mRNA abundance have phase and width which are directly proportional to the corresponding turnover rates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The cascade of events occurring during the yeast metabolic cycle (and their correlation with mRNA turnover) reflects to a large extent the gene expression program observable in other dynamical contexts such as the response to stresses/stimuli.</p

Unified description of equation of state and transport properties of nuclear matter

Correlated basis function perturbation theory and the formalism of cluster expansions have been recently employed to obtain an effective interaction from a state-of-the-art nucleon nucleon potential model. The approach based on the effective interaction allows for a consistent description of the nuclear matter ground state and nucleon-nucleon scattering in the nuclear medium. This paper reports the the results of numerical calculations of different properties of nuclear and neutron matter, including the equation of state and the shear viscosity and thermal conductivity transport coefficients, carried out using the effective interaction.Comment: Invited talk at the Sixth Conference on Perspectives in Hadronic Physics (ICTP, Trieste, May 2008). To be published in the proceedings (AIP

Aprender con las audiencias, un desafío para los periodistas

Uno de los cambios más notables desde la aparición del periodismo en Internet es el de las audiencias, que se han vuelto interactivas, selectivas, migrantes y hiperfragmentadas. Esto ha obligado a los periodistas no sólo a conocerlas e interpretarlas, sino a aprender de ellas y con ellas, en un proceso de formación permanente. En este artículo proponemos una reflexión sobre las necesidades de aprendizaje de los periodistas a la luz de los cambios constantes en los hábitos de consumo y en el comportamiento de las audiencias en Internet

Aprender con las audiencias, un desafío para los periodistas

Uno de los cambios más notables desde la aparición del periodismo en Internet es el de las audiencias, que se han vuelto interactivas, selectivas, migrantes y hiperfragmentadas. Esto ha obligado a los periodistas no sólo a conocerlas e interpretarlas, sino a aprender de ellas y con ellas, en un proceso de formación permanente. En este artículo proponemos una reflexión sobre las necesidades de aprendizaje de los periodistas a la luz de los cambios constantes en los hábitos de consumo y en el comportamiento de las audiencias en Internet

The Role of Attachment Trauma and Disintegrative Pathogenic Processes in the Traumatic-Dissociative Dimension

Epidemiological, clinical, and neurobiological studies of the last 30 years suggest that traumatic attachments during the early years of life are associated to specific psychopathological vulnerabilities based on dissociative pathogenic processes. It has been observed that the dissociative pathogenic processes caused by these traumatic attachments either may contribute to the genesis of well-defined mental disorders (e.g., dissociative disorders) or may variably occur in many other diagnostic categories, complicating their clinical pictures and worsening their prognosis. For this reason, we proposed to define the dimension of psychopathological outcomes linked to traumatic attachments and dissociative pathogenic processes as the “traumatic-dissociative” dimension (TDD). The clinical complexity of the TDD requires specific training to enable mental health professionals to recognize the signs of traumatic developments and to implement specific treatment strategies. The present article aims to review some crucial points about the clinical meaning and treatment strategies of the TDD, the dissociative pathogenic processes characterizing the TDD, as well as of the role of attachment trauma in the TDD. We also focused on the clinical and theoretical evidence suggesting that dissociation and dis-integration may be considered two different processes but highly correlated. The usefulness of clinical reasoning in terms of psychopathological dimensions, instead of distinct diagnostic categories, as well as several therapeutic implications of these issues was finally discussed

Symptomatic intracranial stenosis: A university hospital-based ultrasound study

Summary Introduction Stenosis of intracranial arteries are responsible for 30–50% of strokes in Orientals, 11% in Hispanics, 6% in Blacks and only 1% in Caucasians. However, the clinical importance of intracranial stenosis in Whites may have been underestimated. Subjects and methods We examined our database registry of all TIA/ischemic stroke Caucasian patients over a two-year period, from January 1st 2009 to December 31st 2010. All patients underwent a complete cervical and intracranial ultrasound assessment, MRA and/or CTA and/or DSA. Results Among 292 patients (males 79.7%; mean age, 71.0 ± 12.8 years), we found 59 (20.2%) subjects harboring at least one intracranial stenosis and 20 (33.9%) patients with 2 stenosis; the total number of intracranial stenosis was 95. Regarding risk factors, hypertension was present in 67.8% of patients, diabetes in 27.1%, smoking in 30.5%, obesity in 10.2%, hypercholesterolemia in 37.3%, previous TIA/stroke in 23.7%, heart disease in 18.6%. Forty-six (77.9%) patients presented with stroke, while 13 (22.1%) with TIA. Concerning the site of stenosis, 50 (52.6%) were located in the anterior circulation [MCA 46 (48.4%), ACA 4 (4.2%)], 45 (47.4%) in the posterior circulation: [PCA 28 (29.5%), BA 11(11.6%), VA 6(6.5%)]; 46 (54.8%) on the right hemisphere, 38 (45.2%) on the left hemisphere. Conclusions In this university hospital-based study among Caucasian patients with acute cerebral ischemia, ultrasound disclosed a higher prevalence of intracranial stenosis than previously thought, suggesting the clinical importance of this condition in White European TIA/stroke patients