Feeding the cities through urban agriculture the community esteem value

The growth of global urban population produces an increase in food demand. With the aim of facing this demand, mainly concentrated in large urban areas, urban agriculture should be fostered to integrate traditional agriculture production, no longer considered sustainable. After suggesting the implementation of integrated systems of urban agriculture, in order to measure their social appreciation expressed by the community, the paper proposes the Community Esteem Value, obtained with a deliberative appraisal procedure

Toward Integrated Urban Agricolture Systems: Economic and Valuation Aspects

The Paper defines an integrated urban agriculture system (A-URBIS), outlining the complications associated with its launching and implementation, and a methodological guidelines for the valuation of an A-URBIS, taking into account the inclusive and qualitative impacts on the community. Finally the Paper proposes a Direct Deliberative Monetary Valuation procedure which derives from the combination of a participatory deliberative process, which is necessary to develop instruments of direct democracy, and Stated Preference Techniques, which are essential to capture the value related to inclusive use

A Monetary Measure of Inclusive Goods: The Concept of Deliberative Appraisal in the Context of Urban Agriculture

In the major U.S. and European cities (e.g., Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco, London, Paris, etc.) that since 2007 have been feeling the effects of the international economic crisis, regeneration processes have been set up thanks, among other things, to the synergic impact generated by urban agriculture (UA). There are numerous and greatly varied effects, linked to localization, that are consistent with the paradigm of sustainable development, although the sporadic, spontaneous, and discontinued nature of UA conditions its capacity to strongly influence an entire community. With a view to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of urban agriculture, and to facilitating its planning, this study puts forward the implementation of an organized and multifunctional agro-urban system. The consent of the population involved is vital for the creation and implementation of the system, therefore ascertaining not only the existence but also the level of social appreciation of this resource is of paramount importance. With the aim of providing a suitable methodology for ascertaining the social appreciation of the stakeholders in the agro-urban system, the paper puts forward a deliberative monetary appraisal that combines an economic valuation based on hypothetic scenarios with direct, inclusive, and dialogic approaches. In this paper we present: (1) a general overview of the main characteristics of urban agriculture and related problem

Social Evaluation Approaches in Landscape Projects

and (3) social approaches in landscape assessment that account for complexity and social inclusion

Regenerating Regeneration: augmented reality and new models of minor architectural heritage reuse

[EN] The paper presents the first results of an interdisciplinary research conducted by the Department of Architecture of Roma Tre University aimed at developing guidelines for enhancement of minor architectural heritage, urban and suburban. The research evaluates the creation of a widespread museum that exploit cultural dissemination technologies in augmented reality. The economic crisis, not yet overcome, leads to rethink urban development and heritage conservation, reorienting design towards techniques and practices of reuse. These strategies represent one of the most effective ways to enhance and protect the minor architectural heritage, often protagonist of degradation and abandonment. It seems necessary that the architectural heritage protection has been articulated through contemporaneity, adapting itself to the age of Information Communication Technology. In addition to the architectural heritage, strictly intended as a monument, Italy has a complex system of goods well explained, in the broadest sense, as "minor architectural heritage ". This approach makes possible to identify the Italian Historical Cities as a new category of widespread heritage to be protected. Consequently, it emerges the need to put aside the discretization in punctual assets, approaching an entire system of architectural goods, characterized by a high degree of complexity. Valuing the latter in a sustainable way also passes through new technologies as augmented reality.Baratta, AF.; Finucci, F.; Magarò, A. (2018). Regenerating Regeneration: augmented reality and new models of minor architectural heritage reuse. VITRUVIO - International Journal of Architectural Technology and Sustainability. 3(2):1-14. doi:10.4995/vitruvio-ijats.2018.10884SWORD11432Baratta, A., Farroni, L., Finucci, F., Magarò, A. (2018) Nuove tecnologie per il riuso del patrimonio architettonico minore. In Minutoli, F.(ed) Reuso 2018. VI Convegno Internazionale sulla documentazione, conservazione e recupero del patrimonio architettonico e sulla tutela paesaggistica, Gangemi Editore, Roma, IT, pp. 2401-2412.Bonacina, E. (2014) La realtà aumentata e le app culturali in Italia, Journal of the department of Cultural Heritage, 9, 89-122. https://doi.org/10.13138/2039-2362/740Colavitti, A. M. (2018) Urban heritage management: planning with history. Springer, Cham CH. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72338-9Ettorre, M. A. (2010). "i-MiBAC: un'avanguardia tecnologica per il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali", LuBeC 2010, una finestra virtuale sul futuro dei beni culturali. Multimedialità, nuove professioni e ruolo del pubblico: ecco come cambia la valorizzazione del territorio [WWW document]. URL archivio.lubec.it/component/content/article/82-lubec-programma/418-interventi.html (accessed 22 October 2018).Frate, M. C. (2010) Restauro e conservazione del patrimonio storico, Dario Flaccovio Editore, Palermo IT.ICAR (2000) Atti della Commissione Franceschini. 1967 [WWW document]. URL archivio.lubec.it/component/content/article/82-lubec-programma/418-interventi.html (accessed 22 October 2018).ICCD (2018) Atralante dei Centri Storici, sistema webGIS [WWW document]. URL 151.12.80.71/iccdms/index.html (accessed 22 October 2018).Ippoliti, E., Meschini, A. (2010) Dal modello 3D alla scena 3D. Prospettive e opportunità per la valorizzazione del Patrimonio culturale, architettonico e urbano. Disegnare con, 3, 177-191. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1828-5961/2083Milgram, P., Takemura, H., Utsumi, A., Kishino, F. (1994) Augmented reality: a class of displays on the reality-virtuality continuum, Proceedings of Telemanipulator and Telepresence Technologies, SPIE, vol 2351, pp. 282-291 [WWW document]. URL etclab.mie.utoronto.ca/publication/1994/Milgram_Takemura_SPIE1994.pdf (accessed 22 October 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.197321Molteni, L. (1993) L'analisi multivariata nella ricerca di marketing, Egea, Milano.Nicolucci, F. (2005) Technologies for the public understanding of the past: EPOCH's contribution", Digital Culture & Heritage, Patrimonie & Culture Numérique [WWW document]. URL www.archimuse.com/publishing/ichim05/Niccolucci.pdf (accessed 22 October 2018).Solima, L., Minguzzi, A. (2012) Relazioni virtuose tra patrimonio culturale, turismo e industrie creative a supporto dei processi di sviluppo territoriale, Atti del XXIV Convegno Annuale di Sinergie, il territorio come giacimento di vitalità per l'impresa, Università di Lecce, Lecce (IT).Sukigara, T. (2005) The history information disclosure system by a cellular phone, Smart environments and their application to cultural heritage, a workshop held in conjunction with UbiComp '05, pp. 57-60

Towards integrated urban agriculture systems: economic and valuation aspects

The Paper defines an integrated urban agriculture system (A-URBIS), outlining the complications associated with its launching and implementation, and a methodological guidelines for the valuation of an A-URBIS, taking into account the inclusive and qualitative impacts on the community. Finally the Paper proposes a Direct Deliberative Monetary Valuation procedure which derives from the combination of a participatory deliberative process, which is necessary to develop instruments of direct democracy, and Stated Preference Techniques, which are essential to capture the value related to inclusive use.The Paper defines an integrated urban agriculture system (A-URBIS), outlining the complications associated with its launching and implementation, and a methodological guidelines for the valuation of an A-URBIS, taking into account the inclusive and qualitative impacts on the community. Finally the Paper proposes a Direct Deliberative Monetary Valuation procedure which derives from the combination of a participatory deliberative process, which is necessary to develop instruments of direct democracy, and Stated Preference Techniques, which are essential to capture the value related to inclusive use

Evaluating Appraisers’ Research: uncertainties and risks

This work was inspired by some of the ideas introduced during the CESET Meeting “Appraisal – University Education and Professional Practice”, that took place in Rome on November 19, 2010. This meeting aimed at drawing a balance of the status of appraisal discipline. In addition to that, the paper faces all the perspectives of research for this discipline following the reform of the University system in Italy. We will therefore offer some critical reflections developed in the light of the new measures adopted: regrouping of scientific-disciplinary sectors, introduction of national-scale qualification processes, definition of innovative criteria to evaluate research activities and their results

TNFα expressed on the surface of microparticles modulates endothelial cell fate in rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a high prevalence of atherosclerosis. Recently increased levels of microparticles (MPs) have been reported in patients with RA. MPs could represent a link between autoimmunity and endothelial dysfunction by expressing tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), a key cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of RA, altering endothelial apoptosis and autophagy. The aim of this study was to investigate TNFα expression on MPs and its relationship with endothelial cell fate. Methods: MPs were purified from peripheral blood from 20 healthy controls (HC) and from 20 patients with RA, before (time (T)0) and after (T4) 4-month treatment with etanercept (ETA). Surface expression of TNFα was performed by flow cytometry analysis. EA.hy926 cells, an immortalized endothelial cell line, were treated with RA-MPs purified at T0 and at T4 and also, with RA-MPs in vitro treated with ETA. Apoptosis and autophagy were then evaluated. Results: RA-MPs purified at T0 expressed TNFα on their surface and this expression significantly decreased at T4. Moreover, at T0 RA-MPs, significantly increased both apoptosis and autophagy levels on endothelial cells, in a dose-dependent manner. RA-MPs did not significantly change these parameters after 4 months of in vivo treatment with ETA. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that MPs isolated from patients with RA exert a pathological effect on endothelial cells by TNFα expressed on their surface. In vivo and in vitro treatment with ETA modulates this effect, suggesting anti-TNF therapy protects against endothelial damage in patients with RA

Strategy for better performance in spontaneous building

The contribution presents the results of a research work which addresses the vast theme of urban regeneration of settlements characterized by social and economic marginalization, degraded housing, environmental and technological inadequacy and shortages of services. The territorial context is that of the peripheral marginal areas of the city of Sogamoso in the Boyacà district of Colombia. This research work aims at the development of procedural and design strategies capable of regenerating spontaneous settlements and, in particular, the implementation and realization of solutions identified for improving performance and safety of existing residential buildings relating to forty study cases

CD4 T lymphocyte autophagy is upregulated in the salivary glands of primary Sjögren’s syndrome patients and correlates with focus score and disease activity

Background: Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is a common chronic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands and peripheral lymphocyte perturbation. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the possible pathogenic implication of autophagy in T lymphocytes in patients with pSS. Methods: Thirty consecutive pSS patients were recruited together with 20 patients affected by sicca syndrome a nd/or chronic sialoadenitis and 30 healthy controls. Disease activity and damage were evaluated according to SS disease activity index, EULAR SS disease activity index, and SS disease damage index. T lymphocytes were analyzed for the expression of autophagy-specific markers by biochemical, molecular, and histological assays in peripheral blood and labial gland biopsies. Serum interleukin (IL)-23 and IL-21 levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Our study provides evidence for the first time that autophagy is upregulated in CD4+ T lymphocyte salivary glands from pSS patients. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation was detected between lymphocyte autophagy levels, disease activity, and damage indexes. We also found a positive correlation between autophagy enhancement and the increased salivary gland expression of IL-21 and IL-23, providing a further link between innate and adaptive immune responses in pSS. Conclusions: These findings suggest that CD4+ T lymphocyte autophagy could play a key role in pSS pathogenesis. Additionally, our data highlight the potential exploitation of T cell autophagy as a biomarker of disease activity and provide new ground to verify the therapeutic implications of autophagy as an innovative drug target in pSS