Housing problems in a changing society. Regulation and training needs in Italy

The paper focuses on the social, economic and environmental trends of recent years in Italy, highlighting the issue of housing emergency, both in quantitative and qualitative terms. What emerges are several shortages in housing especially in the suburbs of large cities, emphasizing the relevance of this issue in terms of health consequences and its priority for the definition of local policies. The authors underline that the availability of accessible and healthy housing is a human right, and a multisectoral responsibility, achievable only if a contribution is made by all relevant sectors including housing, environmental, social welfare, urban planning, building management and public health. The authors conclude by stressing the strategic role of training and illustrating a proposal addressed to all stakeholders, aiming to provide health evidences in terms of impact of housing hazards on health and to describe good building practices, helpful in order to obtain safe and healthy homes

Relationship between milk urea, blood plasma urea and body condition score in primiparous browsing goats with different milk yield level

Abstract. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among milk urea, blood plasma urea, milk yield and body condition score (BCS) in primiparous goats fed at pasture. Ninety goats of Sarda breed were used and, on the basis of their yield level, divided in three groups of 30 animals each, low (LY), intermediate (IY) and high milk yield (HY). Daily milk yield, milk protein content, milk urea, plasma total protein and albumin, plasma urea and BCS were measured at monthly intervals from 45 days in milking (45 DIM) to 165 DIM. Milk yield level affected protein concentration of milk and plasma, whereas albumin showed no variation. Plasma and milk urea showed a high correlation (P<0.001) despite of the yield level; plasma urea was always lower than milk urea. BCS decreased on 75 DIM and again after 135 DIM, and it was not affected by the milk yield level. Because milk urea and plasma urea were closely correlated and not influenced by the yield level, the study pointed out that measurement of milk urea could be utilized to evaluate urea metabolism also for browsing goats

From controlling single processes to the complex automation of process chains by artificially intelligent control systems: the ControlInSteel project

The ControlInSteel project, a cooperation of four research institutes, revisited research projects of the last 20 years focusing on automation and control solutions applied to the downstream steel production route. During this investigation we found hints to those solutions, which were beneficial for specific problems. For our analysis, 46 projects were systematically reviewed. Taxonomies for the problem space, the solution space, the barriers and issues and the impact were developed and each project categorized along these taxonometrical dimensions. As a result, the interdependencies between solutions and impact could be analysed in a quantifiable way, which led to a new way of evaluating project success. It also brought new insights about the most promising techniques already applied and those techniques, that have been apparently not yet been applied to steel production, although being highly successful in other domains. This leads to potential future research chances for the steel production and their complex process chains. The paper will also finally demonstrate how a similar taxonometrical approach can be used to conserve expert knowledge in automation to feed a truly artificially intelligent control solution - not only exploiting machine learning methods but essentially using machine reasoning on top of the digitized expert knowledge to achieve improved process automation

Measurement of the time resolution of the installed muon chambers with the 2008 cosmic runs

One of the main goals of the LHCb muon system commissioning is to access the detector performance and identify possible misbehaviors in the installed chambers: this is partially possible using cosmic ray muons tracked through the detector. In this note we focus on the measurement of the time resolution of the whole installed detector (M2-M5 stations) using the 2008 commissioning data. Results are compared with the expected performances

COVID-19 and living space challenge. Well-being and public health recommendations for a healthy, safe, and sustainable housing

Background and aim of the work: The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 is a strong reminder that the lockdown period has changed the way that people and communities live, work, and interact, and it’s necessary to make resilient the built environment, both outdoor and mainly the indoor spaces: housing, workplaces, public buildings, and entertainment facilities. How can we re-design the concept of Well-being and Public Health in relation to the living places of the future? Methods: According to the previous statements and scenario, this paper aims to integrate the building hygiene and well-being, focusing the possible responses, both existing and for the new buildings, taking home a strong message from this “period” of physical distancing. Results: The Well-being and Public Health recommendations for a healthy, safe, and sustainable housing are framed into the following key points: 1. Visible and accessible green elements and spaces; 2. Flexibility, adaptability, sharing, and crowding of living spaces, and compliant functions located into the buildings; 3. Re-appropriation of the basic principles and archetypes of sustainable architecture, thermal comfort and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ); 4. Water consumption and Wastewater Management; 5. Urban Solid Waste Management; 6. Housing automation and electromagnetic fields; 7. Indoor building and finishing materials. Conclusions: The Well-being and Public Health recommendations for a healthy, safe and sustainable housing may provide a useful basis for Designers, Policy Makers (fostering tax incentives for building renewal), Public Health experts and Local Health Agencies, in promoting actions and policies aimed to transform living places in healthier and Salutogenic spaces. (www.actabiomedica.it)

A proposal of hygienic and sanitary standards for the new Building Code in Italy

The traditional emphasis of Public Health on the type and quality of housing today merges with other wider determinants of health such as: the neighbourhood, the community and the "place" where a home is located, but also the policies that make access to a healthy home within everyone's reach. At the neighbourhood scale, context-related aspects heavily influence the internal quality and real usability of the buildings themselves, with particular reference to factors such as the quality of the site, the relationship between the building and the context, the presence and quality of the greenery and open spaces surrounding the building, as well as all measures that make it possible to reduce the building's impact on the environment, to protect it against environmental pollution, and to manage the building in an integrated manner for maintenance purposes. Creating healthy living environments means referring to the different dimensions mentioned above, and this not only requires the attention of Public Health operators, but also implies an integration of vision and objectives among various professional skills and competences that puts health at the center of all policies. This proposal, which starts from the analysis of existing local hygiene regulations and scientific literature, aims to take stock of a number of areas considered fundamental for the assessment of building hygiene aspects, with particular reference to the eco-sustainability of buildings and adaptation to climate change. The aspects identified can be considered as a starting point for the preparation of integrated building and hygiene regulations based on documented effective practices for the protection of Public Health

A Wide Database for a Multicenter Study on Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia in Intensive Care Units

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is an opportunistic fungal infection that may affect patients with immunosuppression. In order to improve the diagnosis accuracy for PJP, facilitating the collection of data across Europe to reliably assess the performance of diagnostic tests for PJP is essential to improve the care of critically ill patients developing this severe condition. Such large data can be collected thanks to the contribution of several European hospitals in the compilation of a dedicated electronic Case Report Form (eCRF). The main focus of this work is to create an interface with high ergonomics both in the compilation and in the subsequent validation of the records

Molecular weight of hydroxyethyl starch: is there an effect on blood coagulation and pharmacokinetics?

Background. The development of hydroxyethyl starches (HES) with low impact on blood coagulation but higher volume effect compared with the currently used HES solutions is of clinical interest. We hypothesized that high molecular weight, low-substituted HES might possess these properties. Methods. Thirty pigs were infused with three different HES solutions (20 ml kg−1) with the same degree of molar substitution (0.42) but different molecular weights (130, 500 and 900 kDa). Serial blood samples were taken over 24 h and blood coagulation was assessed by Thromboelastograph® analysis and analysis of plasma coagulation. In addition, plasma concentration and in vivo molecular weight were determined and pharmacokinetic data were computed based on a two-compartment model. Results. Thromboelastograph analysis and plasma coagulation tests did not reveal a more pronounced alteration of blood coagulation with HES 500 and HES 900 compared with HES 130. In contrast, HES 500 and HES 900 had a greater area under the plasma concentration-time curve [1542 (142) g min litre−1, P<0.001, 1701 (321) g min litre−1, P<0.001] than HES 130 [1156 (223) g min litre−1] and alpha half life (\batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} $\mathrm{t}_{{\alpha}}^{{\frac{1}{2}}}$ \end{document}) was longer for HES 500 [53.8 (8.6) min, P<0.01] and HES 900 [57.1 (12.3) min, P<0.01] than for HES 130 [39.9 (10.7) min]. Beta half life (\batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} $\mathrm{t}_{{\beta}}^{{\frac{1}{2}}}$ \end{document}), however, was similar for all three types of HES [from 332 (100) to 381 (63) min]. Conclusions. In low-substituted HES, molecular weight is not a key factor in compromising blood coagulation. The longer initial intravascular persistence of high molecular weight low-substituted HES might result in a longer lasting volume effec

Urban sprawl and health: a review of the scientific literature

Urban sprawl is the development of sparse suburban areas with low population density, limited land use diversity, and poor street connectivity. Numerous studies demonstrated that urban form settings influence indoor and outdoor environments and, consequently, public health in diverse ways. This review aims to assess the association between sprawl and each health outcome evaluated in the literature to better define urban sprawl and its effects on human health. Using the PRISMA statement, this narrative review evaluates the associations between urban sprawl and any health outcome analyzed by researchers seeking to assess a possible relationship. A total of 826 records were identified via PubMed/MEDLINE (227) and Scopus (599) and 36 studies were deemed suitable for inclusion: 21/36 studies (58%) focused on obesity as the primary health outcome, 4/36 (11%) on life expectancy and/or mortality, 7/36 (19%) on accidents or emergency medical service response, and 4/36 (11%) on the self-reported psychological distress and/or physical health conditions associated with urban sprawl. In most studies, there is a general lack of uniformity and urban sprawl is loosely defined, with urban sprawl definitions frequently corresponding to different combinations of items within sprawl indexes. Nonetheless, urban sprawl appeared to be a determinant of health in many of the examined outcomes; therefore, it is necessary to promote alternatives to sprawling patterns when developing urban settings