La recuperación de las antiguas murallas de la ciudad de Carlentini (Siracusa).

El proyecto de restauración y recalificación de las antiguas murallas de la ciudad de Carlentini se incluye entre las obras contempladas bajo la Ley Regional Siciliana nr. 433/1991, para recuperar y consolidar las estructuras dañadas por el sismo que afectó a la región en 1990. El Ayuntamiento de Carlentini decidió promover la recuperación de las antiguas murallas no sólo para su conservación, sino también como una ocasión de recalificación del territorio, reconociendo el proyecto cómo un instrumento capaz de activar un círculo virtuoso de desarrollo y promoción de los recursos locales. El objetivo principal del proyecto ha sido la restitución del significado y del papel original de las antiguas murallas en su relación con el tejido urbano, en términos tanto artísticos como culturales. El perímetro fortificado constituye el área fundacional de la ciudad de Carlentini y, por tanto, representa la memoria histórica que justifica y guía la comprensión de todos los desarrollos sucesivos de los cuales la ciudad ha sido teatro. Las murallas de la ciudad, edificadas en la época del rey Carlos V, constituyen un valioso documento de la historia y de la cultura de Carlentini, que ha conservado de manera casi intacta el recinto amurallado, aunque en un contexto general y, sobre todo con respecto a los edificios próximos y a su tipología, ha sido masivamente alterado por las continuas operaciones de sustitución edilicia, que han modificado en profundidad el aspecto de este pequeño centro

Machine Learning tools applied to the prediction and interpretation of the structural behavior of existing dams

The safety of existing dams is mainly ensured by the correct interpretation of monitoring data recorded during the whole lifetime of these structures. In this context, an increasing number of devices are being installed to provide more and more frequent measurements. Several Machine Learning tools have emerged as possible alternatives to traditional prediction approaches in recent years. Neural Networks have shown the ability to adapt to complex interactions and, therefore, to reach greater accuracy than conventional methods. However, this technique is susceptible to parameter tuning and difficult to generalize. Other recent studies have focused on Boosted Regression Trees. Less frequently used in dam engineering, they have proved to be equally accurate compared to Neural Networks, simpler to implement, and not sensitive to noisy and low relevant predictors. However, applications are limited to a few specific cases. The present contribution aims to evaluate the performances of this novel approach on dam data with a different specificity from previous research. The case study corresponds to a double-curvature arch dam introduced as a benchmark test by the International Commission on Large Dams. The input data include raw environmental variables, some derived variables, and time-related variables. Predictions of displacements under varying environmental conditions are performed, and relative influence indices are identified to determine the strength of each input-output relationship

The right to the city to contrast the decay of urban spaces : the architectural upgrade of Corso Garibaldi railway station, in Naples

Deep changes in urban frameworks, challenge contemporary cities, where often, common spaces formerly central, risk an indissoluble physical degradation, due to processes of social marginalization. Architects are asked to face the developmental dynamics for spaces of anonymity, every day more numerous, working on previous attitudes as aggregation and relation junctions. Moving from the description of the design criteria that inform the rehabilitation for the ancient area of Corso Garibaldi in Naples, the paper introduces a critical thinking about the links between space’ performances and attitudes towards inclusivity. Urban and architectural solutions are privileged means in order to return to citizenship the right to public space, reaffirming the concept of common space as dwelling, residence of the community, with the creation of new social ties and the growth of local shared identities.Peer Reviewe

Cutaneous Bowen’s Disease: an Analysis of 182 Cases according To Age, Sex, and Anatomical Site from an Italian Center

Bowen's disease (BD), also known as squamous cell carcinoma in situ, is a type of non-melanocytic intraepidermal malignancy characterised by a slowly enlarging erythematous to pink, scaly patch or plaque with irregular and well-demarcated borders. These lesions are usually persistent and progressive; it has been estimated that in general population around 3% to 5% of Bowen's disease transform into invasive squamous cell carcinoma. This report describes our experience with cutaneous BD and assesses the differences found about age, sex and anatomical site. Bowen’s disease was seen more frequently in male patients rather than in female patients in contrast to what confirmed in literature - this difference is probably because being head-neck an exposed region, patients are more easily induced to autoexam and to consult the dermatologist

Chapter Optimising 3D interactive exploration of open virtual enviroments on web, using mobile devices

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

Synthesis and Evaluation of Monoaryl Derivatives as Transthyretin Fibril Formation Inhibitors

Transthyretin (TTR) is a homo-tetrameric protein characterized by four identical β-sheet rich monomers assembled together to form a tetramer that is crossed, along the 2-fold symmetry axis, by two similar binding pockets named thyroxin binding sites. Under unknown conditions, TTR can misfold and aggregate triggering the amyloidosis onset. One therapeutic approach consists to stabilize the tetramer with synthetic small molecules that bind TTR binding site hindering the first step of fibril formation. Here, we report the synthesis of new 2-((benzyloxy)imino)acetic, -propanoic and -butanoic acid derivatives, results of their turbidimetric UV assay and the docking study of new monoaryl compounds. The obtained results suggest that, for this class of compounds, (i) the chlorine atom in ortho position on the aromatic ring is the best substituent; (ii) the linker inversion still allows the interaction with thyroxine binding sites; and (iii) the steric hindrance in R1 position is detrimental for the activity

Evaluation of HIV-DNA and inflammatory markers in HIV-infected individuals with different viral load patterns

Abstract Background: Persistent residual viremia (RV) and low grade inflammation and immune activation have been associated with non-AIDS defining events. The impact of persistent RV and HIV-DNA load on immune activation/ inflammation remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to gain new insights into the relation between viremia, markers of inflammation and HIV-DNA levels. Methods: Three hundred and twenty-one HIV-infected patients were studied. A retrospective analysis of viremia values, prospectively collected for 48 months, was performed. Patients were separated into three groups: 113 TND (Target Not Detected, patients with sustained undetectable viremia); 113 RV (Residual Viremia, patients who had at least three detectable viral load (VL) values <37 copies/ml); 95 LLV (Low Level Viremia, patients with at least two VL values >37 but <200 copies/ml). HIV-DNA, TNF-α, IL-6 and sCD14 were analyzed. Results: HIV-DNA, sCD14 and TNF-α were significantly lower in the TND group than in the RV and LLV groups. In addition, RV patients showed lower levels of HIV-DNA and sCD14 than LLV individuals. HIV-DNA load was not related to markers of inflammation. The ordinal logistic analysis showed that two independent variables were significantly associated with VL pattern: sCD14, HIV-DNA. In addition NRTIs plus NNRTIs and NRTIs plus PIs were negatively associated to VL pattern compared to INI-containing regimen. Conclusions: Persistent undetectable viremia was associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers and HIVDNA. However, the lack of normalization of these biomarkers in the TND group and the fact that HIV-DNA load was not associated with inflammation strongly suggest that other mechanisms play a major role in maintaining inflammation over time

Reduced Plasma Levels of sCD14 and I-FABP in HIV-infected Patients with Mesalazine-treated Ulcerative Colitis

BACKGROUND: Microbial translocation (MT) is a shared feature of HIV infection and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). AIMS: This study was conducted to assess the impact of IBD (and particularly ulcerative colitis, UC) on plasma markers of MT and immune activation in HIV+ subjects. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 groups of patients: HIV+/UC+(group HIV/UC); HIV+/UC- (group HIV); HIV-/UC+(group UC). Plasma levels of soluble CD14 (sCD14), intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), and endotoxin core antibodies (endoCAB) were measured as plasma markers of MT. Inflammation and immune activation were evaluated by measuring plasma levels of IL-6, IL-21, TNF-alpha, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). T- and B-cells subpopulations were characterized by FACS analysis. RESULTS: Seven patients were enrolled in group HIV/UC, 9 in HIV, and 10 in UC. All HIV-positive patients had plasma values of HIV-1 RNA < 37 copies/mL for at least 12 months and good immunological recovery. All patients with UC were treated with oral mesalazine. Markers of MT, immune activation, and inflammation were not increased in subjects with HIV/UC. In fact, they had lower levels of I-FABP (p = 0.001) and sCD14 (p = 0.007) when compared to other patients groups. Positive correlations were found between I-FABP and sCD14 (r = .355, p = 0.076). Frequency of T- and B-cell subsets did not differ among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that UC does not worsen MT, inflammation, or immune activation in HIV-infected subjects. The anti-inflammatory activity of chronic mesalazine administration on intestinal mucosa may contribute to this finding

El mantenimiento para las "Estaciones del Arte" en Nápoles

Las &ldquo;Estaciones del Arte&rdquo; nacen a partir de un proyecto promovido por la Administraci&oacute;n Municipal de N&aacute;poles, junto con la Empresa Metronapoli, para realizar un plan estrat&eacute;gico de fomento y localizar en la l&iacute;nea 1 el eje portador de la movilidad con la construcci&oacute;n de nuevas estaciones, que se convierten en ocasi&oacute;n de recualificaci&oacute;n urbana para algunos puntos neur&aacute;lgicos de la ciudad. De las 34 estaciones del Sistema Metronapoli, 13 son aquellas definidas como &ldquo;Estaciones del Arte&rdquo;, 9 de la l&iacute;nea uno (Tab. 1) y 4 de la l&iacute;nea seis, dise&ntilde;adas por: &Oacute;scar Tusquets Blanca, Karim Rashid, Atelier Mendini, Gae Aulenti, Domenico Orlacchio, Michele Capobianco y Renato Miano. La propuesta de los proyectistas de acuerdo con el cr&iacute;tico de arte Achille Bonito Oliva, encargado por el Ayuntamiento de N&aacute;poles de la direcci&oacute;n art&iacute;stica, ha transformado los espacios de tr&aacute;nsito de las estaciones en lugares de encuentro con el arte contempor&aacute;neo para los ciudadanos que diariamente utilizan las l&iacute;neas 1 y 6. Se trata de una asignaci&oacute;n ins&oacute;lita del arte, en un lugar de paso, definido a menudo como &ldquo;non luogo&rdquo; del transporte p&uacute;blico, que se vuelve una escenograf&iacute;a de una operaci&oacute;n cultural de gran envergadura, en la que se ven implicados los nombres m&aacute;s importantes del arte contempor&aacute;neo. Con su patrimonio art&iacute;stico compuesto por unas 200 obras realizadas por 95 artistas Metronapoli constituye un ejemplo &uacute;nico de museo descentrado y distribuido en el &aacute;rea urbana, que exprime el deseo de querer interactuar e integrarse con el territorio, contribuyendo no solamente a mejorar la movilidad urbana sino tambi&eacute;n a dar un valor adicional a la ciudad desde el punto de vista &eacute;tico y est&eacute;tico, e incidiendo en el &aacute;mbito socio-cultural. Con este proyecto, el arte contempor&aacute;neo encuentra una amplia difusi&oacute;n en la capital de la regi&oacute;n Campania desde el a&ntilde;o 1995, cuando por entonces la administraci&oacute;n promovi&oacute; un proyecto denominado &laquo;gli Annali delle Arti&raquo; y otras iniciativas dirigidas a un p&uacute;blico a menudo poco atra&iacute;do por este g&eacute;nero de arte.Tópico 2: Patrimonio Arquitectónico, Ingenieril y Arqueológico (urbano, rural, industrial, religioso, funerario). Construcciones en Tierra. Intervenciones en construcciones con patologías estructurales (aplicación de refuerzos). Técnicas de limpieza y conservación. Sostenibilidad (iluminación, ventilación, acústica, climatización, etc.) Biodeterioro del Patrimonio y técnicas de intervención sobre distintos sustratos

Trends in cutaneous melanoma mortality in Italy from 1982 to 2016

Background In Italy, comprehensive national studies, about mortality rates for cutaneous melanoma, are missing. The aim of this study was to analyze the trend of cutaneous melanoma mortality in Italy from 1982 to 2016. Methods Data on death certificates were obtained from Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT: Istituto nazionale di STATistica, Indagine sulle cause di morte). Mortality rates were age-standardized on the European population 2013 and presented per 100,000 individuals. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AMRs) were calculated by sex, age group, and geographic areas. To identify changes in mortality rate trends, a joinpoint regression model was used, and the annual percent change (APC) was estimated. Results In Italy, a total number of 49,312 patients (44.0% women) died for cutaneous melanoma from 1982 to 2016. Melanoma mortality rates significantly increased in the study period in both sexes, with higher AMR values and a steeper increase in men (from 2.71 to 4.02; APC: 1.43; 95% CI 1.26-1.61) than women (from 1.94-2.10; APC: 0.23; 95% CI 0.00-0.46). The largest difference between men and women was observed in patients aged &gt;= 65 years with APC of 2.17 in men (95% CI 1.97-2.37) and 0.37 in women (95% CI 0.08-0.66). Conclusion In conclusion, the melanoma mortality rate in Italy progressively increased especially in elderly men. Several hypotheses might explain the observed age and geographic differences such as sun exposure habits or different strategies of prevention campaigns