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Wild Encounters. Toward a reinterpretation of urban green policies by the rivers in Rome and Cagliari
No full textThis chapter critically examines urban green policies and reveals underlying agendas of control and land value extraction. Two case studies – Quartucciu (a small town near Cagliari) and Rome – highlight how green initiatives often prioritize beautification and economic interests over environmental and social stewardship. In Quartucciu, a proposed linear park along the Is Cungiaus river reflects a neoliberal approach to urbanization, while in Rome, the transformation of the Tiber riverbanks represents control under the guise of ecological restoration. By embracing the concept of “wildness” this chapter challenges conventional notions of urban nature and highlights the complexities of interstitial spaces, where diverse socio-environmental practices resist commodification. Ultimately, this chapter calls for a reevaluation of urban green policies through the encounters with the spatial practices that still exist in these two contexts
Impaired SERPIN–Protease Balance in the Peripheral Lungs of Stable COPD Patients
Get PDFThe protease–antiprotease balance is involved in many biological processes, including blood coagulation, tissue remodeling, inflammation and immune responses. The aim of this study is to determine the balance between SERPINs and some related proteases in the lungs of stable COPD patients. In this cross-sectional study, the expression and localization of human SERPINs (anti-proteases) and some related proteases were measured in the lung parenchyma of mild-moderate COPD (MCOPD, n = 13) patients, control smokers (CS, n = 14) and control nonsmokers (CNS, n = 12) using transcriptome analysis, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA tests. Peripheral lung transcriptomic data showed increased mRNA levels of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), cathepsin-L and caspase-1 as well as increased SERPINs A6, B3, B5, B11, B13 in the COPD group compared to the CNS group. At the protein level, IHC analysis showed that tPA and cathepsin-L increased in the bronchiolar epithelium and alveolar septa of the CS and COPD groups compared to the CNS group, as well as SERPINB5 and B13 in the alveolar macrophages and alveolar septa of the CS and COPD groups compared to the CNS group. SERPINA6 was shown to be decreased in the bronchiolar epithelium, bronchiolar lamina propria, and alveolar septa of the CS and COPD groups compared to the CNS group and was positively correlated with lung function. SERPINB3 was decreased in the alveolar septa of the CS group compared to the CNS group. The ELISA tests showed that in the total lung extracts, decreased levels of SERPINA6 and increased caspase-1 were shown in the COPD group compared to the CNS or both control groups, respectively. These data show an imbalance, at the protein level, of SERPINs and some related proteases in the lungs of the CS and stable COPD groups. These alterations may play a role in damaging the lung parenchyma of susceptible COPD patients
Narratives in ink: the transformative power of tattoos in gender affirmation for transgender and gender-diverse individuals
No full textBackground: Tattoos have long served as a form of self-expression and body modification. While research has explored their psychological and social dimensions, little attention has been given to their role in the gender affirmation pathways of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals. For TGD individuals, bodily modifications, both medical and esthetic, can be significant tools for self-determination and resistance to societal norms.
Aim: This study investigates the emotional, symbolic, and practical significance of tattoos for TGD individuals, focusing on their impact on self-esteem, body image, and personal identity. It explores the motivations behind tattooing, placement choices, and the role of tattoo artists, particularly in relation to tattoos used to cover or highlight surgical scars or represent gender-affirming narratives.
Method: A total of 26 self-identified TGD individuals participated in an online questionnaire, providing demographic data and details about their tattoos. Reflexive thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006), was conducted to identify recurring patterns and meanings.
Results: Tattoos in this study encompassed diverse subjects, including cultural motifs, spiritual symbols, personal quotes, and animals. Many participants described their tattoos as tools for reclaiming medicalized bodies, affirming gender identity, and symbolizing transformation. Tattoos served as permanent markers of growth, and resilience. Scar-related tattoos were used to either highlight surgical scars or to conceal them. Participants also described tattoos as mechanisms for challenging gender norms, fostering healing, and alleviating dysphoria. Emotional responses included feelings of euphoria, pride, self-love, and empowerment, as well as frustration and anger toward societal barriers to gender diversity.
Discussion: The findings align with existing theories of embodiment, which frame the body as a site of both personal and political identity construction. Tattoos not only serve as a means of self-expression but also strengthen a sense of agency over one’s body. By acting as a counter-narrative to the medicalization of transgender identities, tattoos shift the discourse toward personal autonomy and self-affirmation
Accelerating Model-Based Reinforcement Learning using Non-Linear Trajectory Optimization
No full textThis paper addresses the slow policy optimization convergence of Monte Carlo Probabilistic Inference for Learning Control (MC-PILCO), a state-of-the-art model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) algorithm, by integrating it with iterative Linear Quadratic Regulator (iLQR), a fast trajectory optimization method suitable for nonlinear systems. The proposed method, Exploration-Boosted MC-PILCO (EB-MC-PILCO), leverages iLQR to generate informative, exploratory trajectories and initialize the policy, significantly reducing the number of required optimization steps. Experiments on the cart-pole task demonstrate that EB-MC-PILCO accelerates convergence compared to standard MC-PILCO, achieving up to 45.9% reduction in execution time when both methods solve the task in four trials. EB-MC-PILCO also maintains a 100% success rate across trials while solving the task faster, even in cases where MC-PILCO converges in fewer iterations
A New Bronze Age Productive Site on the Margin of the Venice Lagoon: Preliminary Data and Considerations
Get PDFThe possibility of collecting new archaeological elements useful in reconstructing the dynamics of population, production and commercial activities in the Bronze Age at the edge of the central-southern Venice Lagoon was provided between 2023 and 2024 thanks to an intervention of rescue archaeology planned during some water restoration works in the Giare–Mira area. Three small excavations revealed, approximately one meter below the current surface and covered by alluvial sediments, a rather complex palimpsest dated to the late Recent and the early Final Bronze Age. Three large circular pits containing exclusively purified grey/blue clay and very rare inclusions of vegetable fibres, and many large, fired clay vessels’ bases, walls and rims clustered in concentrated assemblages and random deposits point to potential on-site production. Two pyro-technological structures, one characterised by a sub-circular combustion chamber and a long inlet channel/praefurnium, and the second one with a sub-rectangular shape with arched niches along its southern side, complete the exceptional context here discovered. To analyse the relationship between the site and the natural sedimentary succession and to evaluate the possible extension of this site, three electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and low-frequency electromagnetic (FDEM) measurements were collected. Several manual core drillings associated with remote sensing integrated the geophysical data in the analysis of the geomorphological evolution of this area, clearly related to different phases of fluvial activity, in a framework of continuous relative sea level rise. The typology and chronology of the archaeological structures and materials, currently undergoing further analyses, support the interpretation of the site as a late Recent/early Final Bronze Age productive site. Geophysical and geomorphological data provide information on the palaeoenvironmental setting, suggesting that the site was located on a fine-grained, stable alluvial plain at a distance of a few kilometres from the lagoon shore to the south-east and the course of the Brenta River to the north. The archaeological site was buried by fine-grained floodplain deposits attributed to the Brenta River. The good preservation of the archaeological structures buried by fluvial sediments suggests that the site was abandoned soon before sedimentation started
Crizotinib in Patients With ROS1-Positive NSCLC With or Without Brain Metastases: Post Hoc Analysis of Phase II METROS Trial
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Epicardial and hybrid surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation: 1-year follow-up outcomes of the EORP EHAFA registry
No full textAims Stand-alone minimal invasive epicardial and hybrid atrial fibrillation ablation (EHAFA) has evolved to a recognized treatment option in challenging patients. The EHAFA registry was initiated to describe the applied diagnostic and therapeutic approaches used in routine practice for these procedures, as well as the outcomes in terms of rhythm, symptoms, and complications. Methods Between January 2016 and March 2018, patients who underwent an EHAFA procedure for all types of atrial fibrillation (AF) and results were consecutively enrolled in the international, prospective, observational EHAFA registry. Follow-up occurred after 1 year. A total of 468 patients were enrolled from 17 centres in 10 countries. Stand-alone ablation (n = 464) was performed epicardially in 47% (n = 220) or as epi-/endocardial hybrid in 53% (n = 244). The predominate type of AF was non-paroxysmal in 74% (n = 342), and 36% (n = 166) of patients had failed previous catheter ablation. The main lesion sets applied consisted of pulmonary vein isolation (99%, n = 460) and isolation of the left atrial (LA) posterior wall (82%, n = 383). In 82% (n = 382), the LA appendage was managed. The overall in-hospital major complication rate was 8.2% (n = 38/464). Freedom from atrial arrhythmias > 30 s with and without antiarrhythmic drug usage was 79% and 64% (n = 279/353, n = 223/351, respectively). The EHRA score at follow-up was clearly reduced compared to preoperatively (EHRA I: 72%, n = 233/325, vs. 3%, n = 14/464). Conclusion This international registry revealed good rhythm control efficacy for epicardial and hybrid AF ablation in patients with advanced AF, leading to improvement in AF-related symptoms. However, a certain associated complication rate needs to be considered
