First national intercomparison of solar ultraviolet radiometers in Italy

A blind intercomparison of ground-based ultraviolet (UV) instruments has been organized for the first time in Italy. The campaign was coordinated by the Environmental Protection Agency of Aosta Valley (ARPA Valle d'Aosta) and took place in Saint-Christophe (45.8 degrees N, 7.4 degrees E, 570 m a.s.l.), in the Alpine region, from 8 to 23 June 2010. It involved 8 institutions, 10 broadband radiometers, 2 filter radiometers and 2 spectroradiometers. Synchronized measurements of downward global solar UV irradiance at the ground were collected and the raw series were then individually processed by the respective operators on the base of their own procedures and calibration data. A radiative transfer model was successfully applied as an interpretative tool. The input parameters and output results are described in detail. The comparison was performed in terms of global solar UV Index and integrated UV-A irradiance against a well-calibrated double monochromator spectroradiometer as reference. An improved algorithm for comparing broadband data and spectra has been developed and is discussed in detail. For some instruments, we found average deviations ranging from -16% up to 20% relative to the reference and diurnal variations as large as 15% even in clear days. Remarkable deviations were found for the instruments calibrated in the manufacturers' facilities and never involved in field intercomparison. Finally, some recommendations to the UV operators based on the campaign results are proposed

Role of cellular senescence and NOX4-mediated oxidative stress in systemic sclerosis pathogenesis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by progressive fibrosis of skin and numerous internal organs and a severe fibroproliferative vasculopathy resulting frequently in severe disability and high mortality. Although the etiology of SSc is unknown and the detailed mechanisms responsible for the fibrotic process have not been fully elucidated, one important observation from a large US population study was the demonstration of a late onset of SSc with a peak incidence between 45 and 54 years of age in African-American females and between 65 and 74 years of age in white females. Although it is not appropriate to consider SSc as a disease of aging, the possibility that senescence changes in the cellular elements involved in its pathogenesis may play a role has not been thoroughly examined. The process of cellular senescence is extremely complex, and the mechanisms, molecular events, and signaling pathways involved have not been fully elucidated; however, there is strong evidence to support the concept that oxidative stress caused by the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species may be one important mechanism involved. On the other hand, numerous studies have implicated oxidative stress in SSc pathogenesis, thus, suggesting a plausible mechanism in which excessive oxidative stress induces cellular senescence and that the molecular events associated with this complex process play an important role in the fibrotic and fibroproliferative vasculopathy characteristic of SSc. Here, recent studies examining the role of cellular senescence and of oxidative stress in SSc pathogenesis will be reviewed

Physical activity and clustered cardiovascular disease risk factors in young children: a cross-sectional study (the IDEFICS study)

<p>Background The relevance of physical activity (PA) for combating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in children has been highlighted, but to date there has been no large-scale study analyzing that association in children aged ≤9 years of age. This study sought to evaluate the associations between objectively-measured PA and clustered CVD risk factors in a large sample of European children, and to provide evidence for gender-specific recommendations of PA.</p> <p>Methods Cross-sectional data from a longitudinal study in 16,224 children aged 2 to 9 were collected. Of these, 3,120 (1,016 between 2 to 6 years, 2,104 between 6 to 9 years) had sufficient data for inclusion in the current analyses. Two different age-specific and gender-specific clustered CVD risk scores associated with PA were determined. First, a CVD risk factor (CRF) continuous score was computed using the following variables: systolic blood pressure (SBP), total triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) ratio, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and sum of two skinfolds (score CRFs). Secondly, another CVD risk score was obtained for older children containing the score CRFs + the cardiorespiratory fitness variable (termed score CRFs + fit). Data used in the current analysis were derived from the IDEFICS (‘Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS’) study.</p> <p>Results In boys <6 years, the odds ratios (OR) for CVD risk were elevated in the least active quintile of PA (OR: 2.58) compared with the most active quintile as well as the second quintile for vigorous PA (OR: 2.91). Compared with the most active quintile, older children in the first, second and third quintiles had OR for CVD risk score CRFs + fit ranging from OR 2.69 to 5.40 in boys, and from OR 2.85 to 7.05 in girls.</p> <p>Conclusions PA is important to protect against clustering of CVD risk factors in young children, being more consistent in those older than 6 years. Healthcare professionals should recommend around 60 and 85 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous PA, including 20 min/day of vigorous PA.</p&gt

Climate-induced conservation risks of historic reinforced concrete buildings: Preliminary results from literature review

Environmental conditions can favour different kinds of deterioration in historic reinforced concrete structures. This preliminary results from literature review are focused on the climate-induced risks affecting reinforced concrete buildings with respect to mechanical, chemical, and biological deterioration. To this purpose, a three-step process defined by the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram, was used leading to the inclusion of 45 documents identified via the search engines Scopus and Web of Science. The outcomes highlight that chemical and mechanical decays are the most investigated ones, being mainly triggered by salt weathering and freezing-thawing cycles. It was found that experimental and theoretical approaches are often coupled to estimate climate-induced deterioration mechanisms, also considering environmental parameters. Finally, the literature search provides some milestones which can be used to evaluate gaps and research needs in the field of climate-induced conservative risks affecting reinforced concrete structures

Mechanical properties of the most common european woods: A literature review

Wood is an orthotropic material used since ancient time. A literature research about the mechanical properties of density, fracture toughness, modulus of elasticity, and Poisson’s ratio has been done to have a broader view on the subject. The publications relating to the topic were found through the two search engines Scopus and Google Scholar that have yielded several papers, including articles and book sections. In general, there is no standardization on the method of analysis carried out on wood, underlining the great difficulty in studying this complex material. The parameter of density has a great variability and needs a deeper investigation; fracture toughness is not always available in literature, not even in the different directions of the wood sample. Interesting is the modulus of elasticity, which provides a correlation with density, especially in longitudinal section but, again, it needs to be studied in detail. The parameter of Poisson’s ratio is provided as single values in three different directions, but mainly for softwood. All the parameters require a more in-depth study for both softwood and hardwood. Furthermore, the type of analysis, whether experimental or modelling, needs to be standardized to have more comparable results

Limpet Shells from the Aterian Level 8 of El Harhoura 2 Cave (Témara, Morocco): Preservation State of Crossed-Foliated Layers

International audienceThe exploitation of mollusks by the first anatomically modern humans is a central question for archaeologists. This paper focuses on level 8 (dated around * 100 ka BP) of El Har-houra 2 Cave, located along the coastline in the Rabat-Témara region (Morocco). The large quantity of Patella sp. shells found in this level highlights questions regarding their origin and preservation. This study presents an estimation of the preservation status of these shells. We focus here on the diagenetic evolution of both the microstructural patterns and organic components of crossed-foliated shell layers, in order to assess the viability of further investigations based on shell layer minor elements, isotopic or biochemical compositions. The results show that the shells seem to be well conserved, with microstructural patterns preserved down to sub-micrometric scales, and that some organic components are still present in situ. But faint taphonomic degradations affecting both mineral and organic components are nonetheless evidenced, such as the disappearance of organic envelopes surrounding crossed-foliated lamellae, combined with a partial recrystallization of the lamellae. Our results provide a solid case-study of the early stages of the diagenetic evolution of crossed-foliated shell layers. Moreover, they highlight the fact that extreme caution must be taken before using fossil shells for palaeoenvironmental or geochronological reconstructions. Without thorough investigation, the alteration patterns illustrated here would easily have gone unnoticed. However, these degradations are liable to bias any proxy based on the elemental, isotopic or biochemical composition of the shells. This study also provides significant data concerning human subsistence behavior: the presence of notches and the good preservation state of limpet shells (no dissolution/recrystallization, no bioerosion and no abrasion/fragmentation aspects) would attest that limpets were gathered alive with tools by Middle Palaeolithic (Aterian) populations in North Africa for consumption

CurlySMILES: a chemical language to customize and annotate encodings of molecular and nanodevice structures

CurlySMILES is a chemical line notation which extends SMILES with annotations for storage, retrieval and modeling of interlinked, coordinated, assembled and adsorbed molecules in supramolecular structures and nanodevices. Annotations are enclosed in curly braces and anchored to an atomic node or at the end of the molecular graph depending on the annotation type. CurlySMILES includes predefined annotations for stereogenicity, electron delocalization charges, extra-molecular interactions and connectivity, surface attachment, solutions, and crystal structures and allows extensions for domain-specific annotations. CurlySMILES provides a shorthand format to encode molecules with repetitive substructural parts or motifs such as monomer units in macromolecules and amino acids in peptide chains. CurlySMILES further accommodates special formats for non-molecular materials that are commonly denoted by composition of atoms or substructures rather than complete atom connectivity

Questionnaire survey on the use of thermal insulation solutions in building facades of Portugal, Italy and Norway

The use of adequate thermal insulation solutions in the opaque walls is one of the most efficient passive strategies towards the improvement of the buildings' thermal performance. Nevertheless, beyond the thermal performance, a set of different performance criteria (i.e., hygrothermal performance, fire behavior, environmental footprint, among others) must also be considered when selecting thermal insulation materials. This study aimed to enhance understanding of the use of thermal insulation solutions in new construction and for the thermal retrofitting of building facades in Portugal, Italy and Norway. To that end, a questionnaire survey was prepared considering the relationships among the different Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental criteria involved in the selection of thermal insulation solutions. The questionnaire was available online between November 2022 and February 2023 and respondents, primarily living and/or working in Portugal, Italy and Norway, were asked to answer questions related to the use and performance of different thermal insulation solutions. Results showed that different perceptions and levels of knowledge regarding the performance of several insulation materials could be ascribed to the respondent's country of residence

Questionnaire survey on the use of thermal insulation solutions in building facades of Portugal, Italy and Norway

The use of adequate thermal insulation solutions in the opaque walls is one of the most efficient passive strategies towards the improvement of the buildings’ thermal performance. Nevertheless, beyond the thermal performance, a set of different performance criteria (i.e., hygrothermal performance, fire behavior, environmental footprint, among others) must also be considered when selecting thermal insulation materials. This study aimed to enhance understanding of the use of thermal insulation solutions in new construction and for the thermal retrofitting of building facades in Portugal, Italy and Norway. To that end, a questionnaire survey was prepared considering the relationships among the different Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental criteria involved in the selection of thermal insulation solutions. The questionnaire was available online between November 2022 and February 2023 and respondents, primarily living and/or working in Portugal, Italy and Norway, were asked to answer questions related to the use and performance of different thermal insulation solutions. Results showed that different perceptions and levels of knowledge regarding the performance of several insulation materials could be ascribed to the respondent's country of residence

Energy poverty in Portugal, Italy, and Norway: awareness, short-term driving forces, and barriers in the built environment

Portugal, Italy, and Norway differ by energy performance of buildings and gross domestic product (GDP). Portugal has significantly highest thermal discomfort with harsher winters. In 2021, 80% of Portuguese buildings had a low energy rating, with 75% of buildings without thermal insulation, highly contributing to the energy poverty (EP) of the country. In Italy, despite a generally mild climate, the building stock has low thermal performance. The most affected areas are the suburban and peri-urban ones, with an EP rate in southern regions between 13% and 20% compared to 8.8% at national level. Moreover, 65% of buildings were constructed before the first law on energy saving criteria and a 25% of it has never undergone any work of maintenance or improvement. Norway, despite the limited studies performs well respect to other European Economic Area and European Union countries, in investing and using indicators to enhance and monitor the green energies’ use. Because of energy price growth, seasonal price fluctuations, and different energy tariffs, energy inequality is increasing. EP risk is underestimated, masked by Norway's high GDP and regional price disparity. Energy inequality is increasing due to energy price growth, seasonal price fluctuations, and energy prices’ geographical inequality. The barriers in reducing EP are the underestimation of risk masked by the high GDP, and the need of homogenized prices in Norway. This study provides an overview to discuss EP awareness and it assesses the drivers and barriers that influence building's energy efficiency renovatio