SPECIFITY OF HISTORICAL BUILDINGS AND BIM METHODOLOGIES. A FIRST EXPERIMENTATION FOR THE FEDERICO II HEADQUARTERS IN NAPLES.

The Building Information Modeling is today one of the most advanced data cataloging and processing systems aimed to the digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of an object. These prerogatives make possible to create a model containing not only the geometric-architectural data of the building, but also the properties of the materials and technical elements that compose it, the construction phases, as well as maintenance operations, locating and programming them over time. Such an approach implies, therefore, not only a change of instruments for the representation of Architecture, but above all a change of "mentality", in which the building is seen as a "unitary" organism with a synchronous vision between architectural form, structural elements, construction techniques, materials and installations. The experimentation here presented concerns the case of the university complex of Federico II of Naples along the axis of Via Mezzocannone. The urban palimpsest housing the monumental front of the building, designed by Eng. Pierpaolo Quaglia and Guglielmo Melisurgo at the end of the Nineteenth century, and incorporating ancient religious complexes built in the Fifteenth century, as the monasteries of Donnaromita and the Old Jesus; heterogeneous elements that allowed to explore on the field limits and the possibilities of interoperability of BIM in which still have ample possibilities for experimentatio

Alle origini di una difficile tutela: Amedeo Maiuri e i restauri al parco archeologico delle terme di Baia

The archaeological complex of Baia, near Naples, can be considered as one of the most beautiful and meaningful archaeological sites in Italy. Over the centuries, Baia has undergone changing processes of different nature which have profoundly altered the place. Nevertheless the gulf of Baia, with the ruins still visible, has always been a wonderful set for painters and writers during their Grand Tour in the Italian lands. When Amedeo Maiuri started his service at the Superintendence for Antiquities of Campania and Molise, in 1924, the activity of the Neapolitan office was almost entirely directed at the continuation of excavation and restoration of the archaeological site of Pompeii. But in the new archaeological emphasis of the decades between the two World Wars, the dissepping and restoration of the Baia complex, led by Amedeo Maiuri was undoubtedly a not yet well-known undertaking, which deserves to be deepened for the importance of the place and for the difficulties of its preservation

La Resilienza della Storia. Trasformazioni e permanenze nel castello e nel borgo di Marzano Appio (Caserta)

The village and the castle of Terracorpo in Marzano Appio, located on a hill in the Regional Park of Roccamorfina, represent a paradigmatic case of a minor historic center in process of depopulation, which identifies a potential for resilience and cultural, social and economic revival in its built heritage. Placed within the system of fortifications of Terra di Lavoro, the castle of Marzano, a municipal property, is a strong element of identity, also for the populations that, for work reasons, have had to move away from the town. The research shows the effects of abandonment on the village and the castle on the historic walls and on the structures of other buildings. Through the use of innovative instruments and non-destructive survey techniques – after a phase of historic, iconographic and archive source research – the condition of the historic walls was analyzed and an accurate survey of the cracking pattern of the walls of the castle and of the main buildings of the village was carried out. La Resilienza della Storia. Trasformazioni e permanenze nel castello e nel borgo di Marzano Appio (Caserta)Il borgo e il castello di Terracorpo a Marzano Appio, su una altura del Parco Regionale di Roccamorfina, nel casertano, rappresentano un caso paradigmatico di centro storico minore in via di spopolamento, che individua nel proprio patrimonio costruito una potenzialità di resilienza e di rilancio culturale, sociale ed economico. Posto all’interno del sistema di fortificazioni della Terra di Lavoro, il castello di Marzano Appio, di proprietà comunale, costituisce, anche per le popolazioni che per motivi occupazionali si sono dovute allontanare dal Borgo, un forte elemento identitario, verso cui la comunità si rivolge con consapevolezza e attenzione. La ricerca che qui si presenta ha approfondito lo studio degli effetti dell’abbandono del borgo e del castello sulle murature storiche e sulle strutture degli edifici esistenti. Mediante l’utilizzo di strumentazioni innovative e tecniche di indagine non distruttive – debitamente interrelate a una attenta fase di approfondimento delle fonti storiche, iconografiche e di archivio – sono state analizzate le condizioni delle murature storiche ed è stato predisposto un accurato rilievo del quadro fessurativo delle compagini murarie del castello e dei principali edifici del borgo. Ciò al fine di elaborare un progetto di restauro e di valorizzazione che non guardi solo alla conservazione del patrimonio costruito come operazione fine a sé stessa, ma soprattutto come strumento di trasmissione alle generazioni future di una eredità culturale forte e resiliente, che può offrire alle comunità locali un’occasione di “ritorno alla contemporaneità”. Il borgo e il castello di Terracorpo a Marzano Appio, su una altura del Parco Regionale di Roccamorfina, nel casertano, rappresentano un caso paradigmatico di centro storico minore in via di spopolamento, che individua nel proprio patrimonio costruito una potenzialità di resilienza e di rilancio culturale, sociale ed economico. Posto all’interno del sistema di fortificazioni della Terra di Lavoro, il castello di Marzano Appio, di proprietà comunale, costituisce, anche per le popolazioni che per motivi occupazionali si sono dovute allontanare dal Borgo, un forte elemento identitario, verso cui la comunità si rivolge con consapevolezza e attenzione. La ricerca che qui si presenta ha approfondito lo studio degli effetti dell’abbandono del borgo e del castello sulle murature storiche e sulle strutture degli edifici esistenti. Mediante l’utilizzo di strumentazioni innovative e tecniche di indagine non distruttive – debitamente interrelate a una attenta fase di approfondimento delle fonti storiche, iconografiche e di archivio – sono state analizzate le condizioni delle murature storiche ed è stato predisposto un accurato rilievo del quadro fessurativo delle compagini murarie del castello e dei principali edifici del borgo. Ciò al fine di elaborare un progetto di restauro e di valorizzazione che non guardi solo alla conservazione del patrimonio costruito come operazione fine a sé stessa, ma soprattutto come strumento di trasmissione alle generazioni future di una eredità culturale forte e resiliente, che può offrire alle comunità locali un’occasione di “ritorno alla contemporaneità”.  Resilience of History. Transformations and Permanence in the Castle and Village of Marzano Appio (Caserta)The village and the castle of Terracorpo in Marzano Appio, located on a hill in the Regional Park of Roccamorfina, represent a paradigmatic case of a minor historic center in process of depopulation, which identifies a potential for resilience and cultural, social and economic revival in its built heritage. Placed within the system of fortifications of Terra di Lavoro, the castle of Marzano, a municipal property, is a strong element of identity, also for the populations that, for work reasons, have had to move away from the town. The research shows the effects of abandonment on the village and the castle on the historic walls and on the structures of other buildings. Through the use of innovative instruments and non-destructive survey techniques – after a phase of historic, iconographic and archive source research – the condition of the historic walls was analyzed and an accurate survey of the cracking pattern of the walls of the castle and of the main buildings of the village was carried out.The aim is to elaborate a restoration and enhancement project that not only looks at the conservation of built heritage as an operation in itself, but above all as a means of transmitting a strong, resilient cultural heritage to future generations that can offer local communities an opportunity to “return to contemporaneity”

Dietary protein restriction reduces circulating VLDL triglyceride levels via CREBH-APOA5-dependent and -independent mechanisms

Hypertriglyceridemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Dietary interventions based on protein restriction (PR) reduce circulating triglycerides (TGs), but underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance remain unclear. Here, we show that 1 week of a protein-free diet without enforced calorie restriction significantly lowered circulating TGs in both lean and diet-induced obese mice. Mechanistically, the TG-lowering effect of PR was due, in part, to changes in very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) metabolism both in liver and peripheral tissues. In the periphery, PR stimulated VLDL-TG consumption by increasing VLDL-bound APOA5 expression and promoting VLDL-TG hydrolysis and clearance from circulation. The PR-mediated increase in Apoa5 expression was controlled by the transcription factor CREBH, which coordinately regulated hepatic expression of fatty acid oxidation-related genes, including Fgf21 and Ppara. The CREBH-APOA5 axis activation upon PR was intact in mice lacking the GCN2-dependent amino acid-sensing arm of the integrated stress response. However, constitutive hepatic activation of the amino acid-responsive kinase mTORC1 compromised CREBH activation, leading to blunted APOA5 expression and PR-recalcitrant hypertriglyceridemia. PR also contributed to hypotriglyceridemia by reducing the rate of VLDL-TG secretion, independently of activation of the CREBH-APOA5 axis. Finally, a randomized controlled clinical trial revealed that 4-6 weeks of reduced protein intake (7%-9% of calories) decreased VLDL particle number, increased VLDL-bound APOA5 expression, and lowered plasma TGs, consistent with mechanistic conservation of PR-mediated hypotriglyceridemia in humans with translational potential as a nutraceutical intervention for dyslipidemia

The effects of graded caloric restriction : XII. Comparison of mouse to human impact on cellular senescence in the colon

Funding information: National Center for Research Resources, Grant/Award Number: UL1 RR024992; National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Number: 91649108; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Grant/Award Number: G009953/1; Bakewell Foundation; Longer Life Foundation ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The mouse work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the UK (Standard Grant BB/ G009953/1 and a China partnering award (BB/JO20028/1) plus an award from the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC: Aging initiative: grant reference number 91649108). Human work was supported by grants from the Bakewell Foundation, the Longer Life Foundation (an RGA/Washington University Partnership), and the National Center for Research Resources (UL1 RR024992). The funding agencies had no role in the analysis or interpretation of the data or in the decision to submit the report for publication. The authors declare no competing financial interests.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A proposal for a quality control protocol in breast CT with synchrotron radiation

The SYRMA-3D collaboration is setting up the first clinical trial of phase-contrast breast CT with synchrotron radiation at the Elettra synchrotron facility in Trieste, Italy. In this communication, a quality control protocol for breast CT is proposed, and a first test of image quality measurements is performed by means of a custom-made radiographic phantom. Materials and methods A set of projections is acquired and used to perform a CT reconstruction of two selected portions of the phantom. Such portions contain a uniform layer of water and a set of radiographic inserts, respectively. Together, they allow to perform several image quality measurements, namely CT number linearity, reconstruction accuracy, uniformity, noise, and low contrast resolution. All measurements are repeated at different beam energies in the range of interest, and at two different dose values. Results Measurements show a good linearity in the soft tissue range, paired to a high accuracy of the CT number reconstruction. Uniformity and noise measurements show that reconstruction inhomogeneities are bound to a few percent of the average pixel values. However, low contrast detectability is limited to the higher portion of the explored energy range. Conclusions The results of the measurements are satisfactory in terms of their quality, feasibility and reproducibility. With minimal modifications, the phantom is promising to allow a set of image quality measurements to be used in the upcoming clinical trial

PVA-GTA Fricke gel dosimeters exposed to clinical photons beams: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry and Imaging

Fricke Gel (FXGs) dosimetric system is based on the radiation induced oxidation of ferrous to ferric ions. The application of Fricke gels for ionizing radiation dosimetry is continuously increasing worldwide due to their many favorable properties. However, one of their shortcomings is that ferrous and ferric ions diffuse in the gel matrix. To maintain the spatial integrity of the dose distribution, Fricke gels must be undergoing measurement within a few hours of their irradiation, so that ferric ions remain close to their point of production. Thus, the spatial integrity of the dose distribution in the Fricke gel is maintained (Schreiner, 2015). The gel matrix also contributes to the oxidation of ferrous ions during irradiation, increasing the chemical yield of ferric ions in aqueous solution and increasing the sensitivity of the dosimeter. The oxidation of ferrous ions also causes a reduction of the longitudinal nuclear magnetic relaxation time T1 which can be measured by means of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) (Marrale, 2014). The results here presented are related to an experimental investigation conducted on Fricke Gels characterized by gelatinous matrix of Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) cross-linked with a Glutaraldehyde (GTA) (Marini, 2016). The main dosimetric features of the NMR signal were investigated. The gels were irradiated in the clinical dose range between 0 and 20 Gy. In order to assess the photon sensitivity we analyzed the dependence of NMR relaxation times on radiation dose with varying ferrous ammonium sulfate content inside FXGs. Furthermore, signal stability was followed for several days after irradiation. These measurements were preliminary to MRI analysis which can permit 3D dose mapping. In order to maximize the MRI response a systematic study was performed to optimize acquisition sequences and parameters. In particular, we analyzed for inversion recovery sequences the dependence of MRI signal on the repetition time TR and on the inversion time TI. The dose calibration curves are reported and discussed from the point of view of the dosimeter use in clinical radiotherapy. This work has highlighted that the optimization of additives inside gel matrix is fundamental for maximizing photon sensitivity of these detectors. We can conclude that FXG dosimeters with optimal ferrous ammonium sulfate content can be regarded as a valuable dosimetric tool to achieve fast information on spatial dose distribution

Risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in frail and pre-frail older adults : Results from a meta-analysis and exploratory meta-regression analysis

Frailty is common and associated with poorer outcomes in the elderly, but its role as potential cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor requires clarification. We thus aimed to meta-analytically evaluate the evidence of frailty and pre-frailty as risk factors for CVD. Two reviewers selected all studies comparing data about CVD prevalence or incidence rates between frail/pre-frail vs. robust. The association between frailty status and CVD in cross-sectional studies was explored by calculating and pooling crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs)+/- 95% confidence intervals (CIs); the data from longitudinal studies were pooled using the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). Eighteen cohorts with a total of 31,343 participants were meta-analyzed. Using estimates from 10 cross-sectional cohorts, both frailty and pre-frailty were associated with higher odds of CVD than robust participants. Longitudinal data were obtained from 6 prospective cohort studies. After a median follow-up of 4.4 years, we identified an increased risk for faster onset of any type CVD in the frail (HR= 1.70 [95%CI, 1.18-2.45]; I-2 = 66%) and pre-frail (HR= 1.23 [95%CI, 1.07-1.36]; I-2 = 67%) vs. robust groups. Similar results were apparent for time to CVD mortality in the frail and pre-frail groups. In conclusion, frailty and pre-frailty constitute addressable and independent risk factors for CVD in older adults. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Weight loss is associated with improvements in cognitive function among overweight and obese people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Whilst obesity is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, the influence of weight loss on cognitive function in obese/overweight people is equivocal. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and longitudinal studies evaluating the influence of voluntary weight loss on cognitive function in obese/overweight individuals. Articles were acquired from a systematic search of major databases from inception till 01/2016. A random effect meta-analysis of weight loss interventions (diet, physical activity, bariatric surgery) on different cognitive domains (memory, attention, executive functions, language and motor speed) was conducted. Twenty studies (13 longitudinal studies = 551 participants; 7 RCTs = 328 treated vs. 140 controls) were included. Weight loss was associated with a significant improvement in attention and memory in both longitudinal studies and RCTs, whereas executive function and language improved in longitudinal and RCT studies, respectively. In conclusion, intentional weight loss in obese/overweight people is associated with improvements in performance across various cognitive domains. Future adequately powered RCTs are required to confirm/refute these findings