615 research outputs found
The Proximity of Urban Green Spaces as Urban Health Strategy to Promote Active, Inclusive and Salutogenic Cities
No full textUrban Green Spaces (UGS) have several positive effects on Public Health, environmental quality, and cities’ resilience to climate change; UGS are crucial in urban regeneration actions and urban health purposes. Moreover, to better define the UGS’ health impacts, it is important to define and guarantee UGS’ proximity, accessibility, and quality. Aim of the research is a quali-quantitative assessment of the UGS in Italian metropolitan cities, taking Milan, Turin, Florence, and Bologna as preliminary case studies. One of the 1st phases was to draw up dynamic and descriptive GIS-based maps of the relationships between density of population and of urban fabric, UGS’ availability, and their accessibility. Only the areas with a size greater than 15,000 square meters were considered; three buffer zones of proximity were defined: 250, 500, and 750 m. By combining the UGS’ availability with the population’s density, it was possible to quantify the citizens included in the three buffer zones. From the 1st analysis, it is observed that about 90% of the population is served by a quality green area within a buffer area of 750 m; 78% by the buffer zone of 500 m; 49% by the buffer zone of 250 m. Both the elaborated maps and graphs obtained show how population is not equally served by close and accessible UGS. Their geo-localization it’s a preliminary quantitative step (process started in Italy with the introduction of regulations like green areas’ census, mapping, maintenance legislation, and strategic plans), but it’s even more crucial to evaluate the UGS’ quality in terms of accessibility, safety and security features, provision of services and paths
Fatigue design of hydraulic cylinder made of composite material
No full textThe object of this research is to demonstrate that the composite materials can replace the classic ones (for example steel) used to produce the structural mechanical components. The focus of this study is a double effect hydraulic cylinder installed on the excavator. Its design has been addressed using three different materials: the composite one made of carbon fiber, the classic structural steel and the aluminium alloy. The analytical sizing was verified through the FEM analysis. The next phase considers the fatigue phenomena due to pressure variation in time in the hydraulic cylinder. The results show that the hydraulic cylinder made of composite material has a very similar performance, in terms of the safety factor, to the one made of structural steel and that the weight reduction is about 87% passing from 2286 N to 314 N
Il ruolo della Valutazione Ambientale Strategica nella Programmazione degli interventi sul costruito
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Radiotherapy resources for the care of head and neck patients in Italy. A survey by the Head and neck Group of the Italian association for Radiation Oncology (AIRO)
No full textTumori. 2008 Jan-Feb;94(1):59-64.
Radiotherapy resources for the care of head and neck patients in Italy. A survey by the head and neck group of the Italian Association for Radiation Oncology (AIRO).
Frata P, Ponticelli P, Cosentino D, Buffoli A, Di Pilla A, Morrica B, Palazzi M.
Source
Department of Radiation Oncology Istituto del Radio O. Alberti, Brescia University Hospital, Brescia, Italy. [email protected]
Abstract
AIMS AND BACKGROUND:
In 2006 a survey was performed to define the resources available in Italy for the provision of radiotherapy services to head and neck cancer patients. This was the first initiative of the newly founded Head and Neck Group of the Italian Association for Radiation Oncology.
METHODS:
A questionnaire was sent to all 138 radiotherapy centers active in the country. Items investigated included total numbers of head and neck cancer patients treated per year, waiting time before the start of treatment, general technical issues, and integration with surgery and chemotherapy.
RESULTS:
Sixty-nine questionnaires were returned (50% response rate). The total number of patients treated was 4,670, averaging 68 cases per center. The larynx was the primary site most frequently involved. Average waiting time was 30 days and 47 days for nonresected and postoperative cases, respectively. The combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy was delivered to nonresected and resected patients in 96% and 54% of centers, respectively. Survey response rates, waiting time, and the use of organ preservation protocols were the issues showing more variations across the country.
CONCLUSIONS:
This survey provides important data on radiotherapy resources available for head and neck cancer patients in Italy. The evidence of significant differences across the country concerning several relevant issues and the potential for cooperative clinical efforts in this relatively rare group of diseases urge the Group to plan further initiatives
The multi-parametric weight optimization of a hydraulic actuator
No full textThis research was derived from the experimental observation that hydraulic actuators are positioned on machines that are subjected to movements and whose dynamic actions, the accelerations, are very high; it is acceptable to think of an actuator for an anthropomorphic robot. From this point of view, the weight of the actuator plays a fundamental role in the performance of the machine. In order to face this problem, a real hydraulic cylinder has been designed (for use on an earth moving machine) both analytically (adopting the theories of continuous mechanics) and numerically through finite element analysis. The results obtained were then generalized by determining functions that in relation to specific values of the variables, such as working pressure, allow one to determine the minimum weight of the component and its geometric configuration. The functions also made it possible to identify the most significant contributions to the overall weight of the component and therefore the elements on which to focus the subsequent lightening process. In particular, the greatest contribution is made by obtaining relations that are completely general and therefore adaptable to different case studies
TECNOLOGIE SOSTENIBILI PER L’IGIENE EDILIZIA
No full textNegli ultimi cinquanta anni, l’impatto delle attività umane sul mondo naturale ha determinato profondi sconvolgimenti, causando in alcuni casi vere e proprie emergenze ambientali (riscaldamento globale, buco dell’ozono, effetto serra, desertificazione, perdita di biodiversità, ecc.). L’entità degli impatti antropici sull’ambiente sta infatti assumendo, con crescente evidenza, dimensioni tali da rendere necessaria e urgente la definizione non solo di strategie sostenibili, ma anche di strumenti per la verifica della stessa. In tale contesto, l’attività edilizia è uno dei settori a più alto impatto ambientale ed è caratterizzata da un trend in continua crescita ovunque.
La produzione mondiale di beni e servizi degli ultimi decenni è infatti notevolmente aumentata e questo aumento, in relazione al cambiamento degli stili di vita, ha determinato un incremento dell’aspettativa di vita, ma ha anche portato un notevole sfruttamento delle risorse naturali, rinnovabili e non, e numerosi impatti negativi con ricadute dirette e indirette sulla salute umana. In tale contesto, il settore delle costruzioni può essere considerato responsabile di:
• consumi di risorse naturali rinnovabili e non (suolo, acqua, materie prime, ecc.);
• produzione di rifiuti solidi e liquidi;
• impermeabilizzazione del suolo;
• consumi energetici;
• emissioni in atmosfera
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