311 research outputs found
Demolire e ricostruire per riqualificare parti di città
La situazione italiana In Italia il ricorso alla demolizione è un fenomeno sporadico. All’inizio degli anni duemila, si cominciò a parlare di “programmi di riabilitazione urbana” . L’art.23 del “collegato infrastrutture” alla finanziaria del 2002 prevedeva espressamente la promozione di questi programmi, che non decollarono a causa della mancata attribuzione di finanziamenti . In Italia non sono stati promossi massicciamente questi tipi di interventi per due ordini di motivi. Perché la demolizione non fa parte della nostra cultura e perché almeno per ora, nel nostro Paese non si sono manifestati fenomeni di elevato degrado unitamente a rischi sociali così gravi come in altri parti d’Europa. Oggi, però, sono palesi situazioni che possono presentare, potenzialmente, la necessità del ricorso alla demolizione: in quei quartieri, ormai ampiamente degradati dove i proprietari affittano i propri alloggi a fasce sociali con bassi livelli di reddito; questo consente loro di non sentirsi in dovere di effettuare lavori di manutenzione e di riscuotere, comunque, introiti anche più che proporzionali rispetto al valore degli immobili. E’ il tempo che darà risposte a questi dubbi; ma sarà importante anche riflettere su due elementi: il confronto tra i costi di un’operazione di riqualificazione senza e con demolizione e la distribuzione dei costi stessi tra i diversi soggetti interessati; la “liberazione” della rendita fondiaria che, generalmente, accompagna le operazioni di demolizione e ricostruzione, soprattutto se queste avvengono in ambiti urbani ben collegati con la città consolidata. I problemi da affrontare riguardano la necessità di una regia pubblica anche nei casi di alloggi privati. La politica francese: dai PRU ai CUCS La Francia ha messo in atto un politica di rénovation urbaine sugli interventi di demolizione e ricostruzione a partire dalla legge Borloo (agosto 2003) – loi d’orientatione et de programmation pour la ville et la rénovation urbaine –, che si pone l’obiettivo di ridurre le disparità sociali e gli scarti di sviluppo tra territori attraverso la promozione, da parte dello Stato, delle collettività territoriali e degli Etablissements pubblics, di programmi d’azione d’orientation pour l’aménagement et le développement du territoire rivolti alle zone urbane sensibili (ZUS). La legge prevede, nel campo degli alloggi sociali, una nuova offerta di 250.000 unità abitative e la riabilitazione di 400.000; la demolizione di 250.000 unità per il periodo 2004-2011. Lo Stato ha stanziato 4 miliardi di euro per 8 anni. Per la realizzazione del piano è stata istituita un’Agenzia nazionale per la rénovation urbaine (ANRU) che, attraverso una sorta di sportello unico, raggruppa i finanziamenti dello Stato e dei partner pubblici e privati coinvolti nel piano che si attua attraverso i Projets de rénovation urbaine (PRU). A luglio 2006, l’ANRU aveva validato lavori, per i 5 anni a venire, per un importo pari a 21,9 miliardi di euro: 188 quartieri prioritari, ai quali si aggiungono 341 quartieri supplementari, sono già beneficiari del dispositivo. Accanto all’imponenza di queste realizzazioni non pochi sono stati i problemi: esiguità delle risorse destinate all’accompagnamento sociale rispetto a quelle destinate alla demolizione e ricostruzione; la debolezza dell’integrazione tra i canali finanziari rivolti all’accompagnamento sociale e all’edificazione e la scarsa integrazione rilevabile anche all’interno degli stessi canali dell’accompagnamento sociale; il notevole peso delle “espulsioni” dai quartieri oggetto dei PRU delle fasce di popolazione debole per favorire la mixité sociale, con pesanti problemi di rialloggiamento; lo scarso rilievo attribuito dalla politica di rénovation alla dimensione intercomunale, che appare come la più pertinente soprattutto per quanto concerne le politiche dell’habitat e la presa in conto della gestione urbana di prossimità . Una questione importante ci porta alla considerazione dei tempi: alla non coincidenza tra tempi dell’ANRU e tempi della decisione (da parte delle amministrazioni e della popolazione). La comunità avrebbe bisogno di fare un lavoro preparatorio sulla memoria di un quartiere e le amministrazioni avrebbero bisogno di dedicarsi con più attenzione alla programmazione. Un ultimo interrogativo si pone: bisogna evitare di porre nel dimenticatoio i quartieri esterni ai PRU perché non si degradino, pena il rischio di dover intervenire con azioni pesanti in un futuro prossimo. In relazione a tali nodi, il governo ha lanciato un nuovo strumento contrattuale per le ZUS: i “Contratti urbani di coesione sociale” (CUCS) da stipulare tra Stato e comuni (che dovrebbe essere attivi dal 1 gennaio 2007). Viene istituita una nuova agenzia, l’Agence national de cohésion sociale che si occupa dell’humain (l’umano) a fronte dell’ANRU alla quale è riservato, invece, il bâti (il costruito). Il CUCS è un documento di azione strategica elaborato dai partner locali. Definisce il progetto urbano e sociale da promuovere per ridurre gli scarti di sviluppo tra i territori prioritari e i loro contesti urbani, con l’obiettivo di una migliore integrazione di tali aree nella città. Il CUCS, che si basa su una “diagnostica” elaborata dall’insieme dei partner promotori, precisa gli obiettivi da raggiungere accompagnati da indicatori dettagliati, definendo contestualmente il programma di azione. Recentemente la DIV (Délégation Interministerielle à la Ville) ha emanato una guida metodologica per la redazione dei CUCS, precisando che il contratto di coesione non può essere considerato come la semplice addizione di un programma di azioni sociali alle operazioni di rénovation urbaine. Pertanto, si tratta di rafforzare la sinergia tra le operazioni di rénovation urbaine e le azioni di sviluppo sociale
Half-BPS Geometries and Thermodynamics of Free Fermions
Solutions of type IIB supergravity which preserve half of the supersymmetries
have a dual description in terms of free fermions, as elucidated by the
"bubbling AdS" construction of Lin, Lunin and Maldacena. In this paper we study
the half-BPS geometry associated with a gas of free fermions in thermodynamic
equilibrium obeying the Fermi-Dirac distribution. We consider both regimes of
low and high temperature. In the former case, we present a detailed computation
of the ADM mass of the supergravity solution and find agreement with the
thermal energy of the fermions. The solution has a naked null singularity and,
by general arguments, is expected to develop a finite area horizon once stringy
corrections are included. By introducing a stretched horizon, we propose a way
to match the entropy of the fermions with the entropy of the geometry in the
low temperature regime. In the opposite limit of high temperature, the solution
resembles a dilute gas of D3 branes. Also in this case the ADM mass of the
geometry agrees with the thermal energy of the fermions.Comment: 37 pages, 2 figures, latex; v2: minor corrections, references adde
Stress and fitness in parthenogens: is dormancy a key feature for bdelloid rotifers?
Background: Bdelloid rotifers are the most common and abundant group of animals that reproduce by ameiotic parthenogenesis, only. They are common in temporally ephemeral habitats, and it is unclear if they dwell in unstable habitats because are excluded from better conditions by stronger competitors, or because they need unstable conditions for their success. We tested the hypothesis that bdelloids 'require' stressful conditions for their persistence by comparing fitness-related traits of stressed ( desiccated, D) and unstressed ( hydrated, H) lines of two species, Adineta ricciae and Macrotrachela quadricornifera.
Results: For both bdelloid species, fecundity was significantly lower in H than in parallel D line. Fitness components decreased with time progressively in the H line but not in the D line. Recovery rates of D lines were recorded after every desiccation and did not reveal any trend in time, suggesting that no selection was operating.
Conclusion: Stress in the form of reiterated desiccations seemed to help both bdelloid species to keep fitness stable; in contrast under stable conditions, like permanent hydration, these bdelloid species had poorer performances. Bdelloids, although aquatic animals, are not only efficient in tolerating desiccation, but seem somehow dependent on anhydrobiosis, a circumstance that might represent a key event in their life cycle. If this is true, life in unpredictable habitats should not be seen as the result of competitive exclusion from 'easier' habitats, but a requirement for long-term survival of these parthenogenetic animals
Regenerating the small historical centres where a large part of the inhabitants are immigrants
This research aims to design the paths through is possible to improve historical buildings located in centers which show signs of abandonment by original inhabitants and where a large part of the inhabitants are immigrants . The Italian population which remains generally lives in the “best” areas of these run down historical centers. In Italy there are 6.989 municipalities having fewer than 10.000 inhabitants (86% of all municipalities); with a population 0f 19.000.000, they represent 32,7% of the population of Italy. In many of these centers “a chain of degradation” is showing. Their properties thus run down, they can obtain only lower rents, the only ones affordable for many immigrants. Often the private owners expect the municipal administration to upgrade the public spaces near their properties in order to enhance their value. In many of these centers “a chain of degradation” is showing. Often the private owners expect the municipal administration to upgrade the public spaces near their properties in order to enhance their value. To regenerate and increase the value of the real estate it is possible to follow two approaches at same time: on the one hand economizing on the costs of the physical rehabilitation (social housing, self-recovery, etc.) and on the other improving territory with roads, parks, infrastructures, etc. while creating services. In this way the immigrants and their culture may be considered a revitalisation resource
Are Local Dairy Products Better? Using Principal Component Analysis to Investigate Consumers' Perception towards Quality, Sustainability, and Market Availability
Secreted miR-210-3p as non-invasive biomarker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
The most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is clear cell RCC (ccRCC).
It accounts for 70-80% of all renal malignancies representing the third most common
urological cancer after prostate and bladder cancer. The identification of non-invasive
biomarkers for the diagnosis and responsiveness to therapy of ccRCC may represent
a relevant step-forward in ccRCC management. The aim of this study is to evaluate
whether specific miRNAs deregulated in ccRCC tissues present altered levels also
in urine specimens. To this end we first assessed that miR-21-5p, miR-210-3p and
miR-221-3p resulted upregulated in ccRCC fresh frozen tissues compared to matched
normal counterparts. Next, we evidenced that miR-210-3p resulted significantly upregulated
in 38 urine specimens collected from two independent cohorts of ccRCC
patients at the time of surgery compared to healthy donors samples. Of note, miR-
210-3p levels resulted significantly reduced in follow-up samples. These results point
to miR-210-3p as a potential non-invasive biomarker useful not only for diagnosis
but also for the assessment of complete resection or response to treatment in ccRCC
management
An Immunological Analysis of Dystroglycan Subunits: Lessons Learned from a Small Cohort of Non-Congenital Dystrophic Patients
The dystroglycan (DG) expression pattern can be altered in severe muscular dystrophies. In fact, some congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs) and limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) are caused by point mutations identified in six glycosyltransferase genes which are likely to target different steps along the posttranslational “O-glycosylation route” leading to a fully decorated and functional α-DG subunit. Indeed, hypoglycosylation of α-DG is thought to represent a major pathological event, in that it could reduce the DG’s ability to bind the basement membrane components, thus leading to sarcolemmal instability and necrosis. In order to set up an efficient standard immunological protocol, taking advantage of a wide panel of antibodies, we have analyzed the two DG subunits in a small cohort of adult dystrophic patients, whom an extensive medical examination had already clinically classified as affected by LGMD (5), Miyoshi (1) or distal (1) myopathy. Immunofluorescence analysis of skeletal muscle tissue sections revealed a proper sarcolemmal localization of the DG subunits in all the patients analyzed. However, Western blot analysis of lectin enriched skeletal muscle samples revealed an abnormal glycosylation of α-DG in two patients. Our work reinforces the notion that a careful immunological and biochemical analysis of the two DG subunits should be always considered as a prerequisite for the identification of new putative cases of dystroglycanopathy
Possible Influence of Natural Events on Heavy Metals Exposure from Shellfish Consumption: A Case Study in the North-East of Italy
The objective of this study was the estimation of the exposure over time to heavy metals (cadmium, mercury and lead) due to shellfish consumption in the Veneto Region, Italy. Shellfish consumption was investigated by a food frequency consumption survey. Altogether, 1949 households, stratified into the five most populated areas of the Veneto Region, were involved in the study. Exposure estimation to heavy metals was carried out taking into account the level of metal measured in samples of Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) and grooved carpetshell (Ruditapes decussatus), collected in the frame of the monitoring activities of mollusk production areas of Veneto Region, between January 2007 and December 2012. A general high contribution of the considered shellfish to the Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) was noticed in the case of cadmium, especially in 2011, when a considerable increase in cadmium intake was estimated. This was probably due to a heavy rainfall event that triggered catastrophic flooding with high impact on shellfish capture areas in November 2010. The results strongly emphasise the importance of dealing with food safety in a holistic way, taking into account the potential impact of extraordinary natural events on food chain contamination, in order to identify food hazards at an early stage, before developing into a real risk for consumers
The incidence of emotions on learning processes in children and youth in contexts of social vulnerability
From Neuroscience perspective, emotions involve physiological, behavioral and cognitive changes. The nervous system gets involved in such responses. Child abuse, bullying or addictions in children and teenagers have a negative impact over their neuroendocrine and immune systems. Implications of this physiological vulnerability can cause changes on cognitive functions and have a negative impact over scholar development.Desde el campo de las Neurociencias, las emociones implican cambios fisiológicos, comportamentales y cognitivos. En dichas respuestas interviene el sistema nervioso. El abuso infantil, bullying y adicciones en niños, niñas y adolescentes impactan negativamente sobre su sistema neuroendócrino e inmunitario. La vulnerabilidad fisiológica que esto implica produce alteraciones en la funciones cognitivas que impactan desfavorablemente sobre el desarrollo escolar
- …